Inner Strength
by Morrigana
Summary: In the face of heartache and tragedy, Jareth and Sarah learn that even the universe bows before love. COMPLETE. FINISHED. DONE. Please rr:
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Neither the labyrinth nor any of its inhabitants belong to me.

A/N My first laby fic. Please be kind. This could be a one shot, or maybe only a prologue. I haven't decided yet.

Inner Strength

Her adventure had ended successfully, and the after party had long since finished. Sarah Williams lay now in her familiar bed, wondering if it had all been just a dream. She had taken a shower, washed away the remaining grime from her journey, and with it, all physical proof that the journey had ever really taken place to begin with. Now in the dark, the trappings of her childhood surrounding her, she couldn't quite imagine that it had really happened. Her new friends seemed like far away memories. And the Goblin King? What of him? Was he just a character in a story, or had he really been there? Had he been in her home as she remembered, or only in her head? It was hard even to remember what he looked like. No, that was a lie. She was fooling herself if she thought she could forget his eyes. Even through the ever thickening fog of her memory she could still feel them watching her, taunting her, challenging her. It was not altogether a bad feeling.

Her reverie was halted abruptly by the dreaded tap tapping at her door. Without waiting for an answer, her father silently opened the door and crept inside. It was not unexpected, her father had been sneaking into her bedroom for as long as she could remember. His slithering hands and dreadful caresses were part of her earliest memories. What was unexpected was this new feeling of anger and loathing. She had long since resigned herself to her father's unwanted attentions. She even told herself she should be grateful. It was only touching, after all, he had never taken it any farther than that. Not yet.

Tonight, though, she was not resigned. She found there was a new determination within her. He had no right! How dare he take such liberties with his own child! He was a disgusting pervert and she would suffer him no longer! Even as she knew these thoughts were her own, that she had thought them in her deepest self a million times before, she had the feeling that tonight they were being drawn to the surface by unknown hands. She reached out for those hands and held them, felt their strength pouring through her. And then she did what she had never had the courage to do before.

Richard Williams gasped and recoiled, the reddened shape of his daughters palm stinging across his face. "Sarah!" he cried, "What the hell are you doing?"

Sarah's eyes burned with her new determination. "Something I should have done a long time ago, Daddy." She said coldly.

Her father reached out suddenly and grasped her upper arms. "Now you listen to me, little girl," he said through clinched teeth. "Until now I've always been good to you. But that can change, oh yes, that can change."

The words brought a memory to Sarah, flitting by like an insect to distract her, before receding back into the murky depths of what was becoming a faded past. The words did not deter her. She pushed back with her imprisoned arms, sending her father backwards off the edge of her bed. "You call this being good to me? I'm your child, how dare you do these things to me? But I tell you now, you will never touch me again, as long as I live. If you ever come near my room I will tell everyone I know what you've been doing to me. I'll make sure there's no one left in the world who doesn't know what a creep you are!" Sarah had stood up, and was now leaning over her father like an owl above its prey.

"Sarah," her father sputtered, stunned at the ferocity in his daughter's eyes. "Sarah, I'm sorry, I.."

"Shut up!" Sarah hissed. "Keep your worthless apologies. I don't want anything from you except that you leave my room."

Richard backed up, still on the floor, wanting nothing but to escape his daughter's iron gaze, sighing in relief when she turned away from him. He had never seen her like this, she had new power, some new strength that he could almost feel in the air. He was stunned to realize he was afraid of her. He had almost made it to the door and was standing up, about to leave, when she turned those horrible eyes back to him. For a split second, one of them seemed to flash the most brilliant shade of light blue.

"Oh, and Daddy?" His skin crawled at the saccharine sweetness with which she said the word. "If you ever so much as lay a finger on Toby, I'll kill you where you stand."

Richard fumbled behind him to turn the doorknob, and fell backwards through the doorway when it finally opened. He stumbled to his feet and almost ran down the hallway, his only thought was getting away from those terrible eyes. Anger and indignation tried to push through to his conscious mind. _I should punish her, I should bring her in line. I should show her who's the boss in this house._ But he knew he would do none of those things. He was terrified of her, terrified of his own daughter. And with good reason.

Sarah climbed back into bed, the rage seeping out of her and leaving her drained. But she felt good, and freer than she could ever remember feeling. She felt strong, and in control of her own life for the first time in her life. No, not the first time…there was something she was forgetting.

And then she remembered the hands, the hands she was holding in her mind. She let go of them, but though she expected the strength to leave her it stayed. She realized it was her strength, her power, and always had been. The hands just helped her find it and use it. _The hands and the eyes_. Suddenly, it all came back to her, all of the events of earlier that night. It was not a dream, it was not a fantasy, it had been real. But not really real, there was something about it, something she couldn't put a finger on. But she was too tired to think about it tonight. Tomorrow would start a whole new chapter of her life, and she couldn't wait. She whispered a silent thank you to whatever power had helped her find the strength to stand up to her father, and drifted into her first peaceful sleep in years.

She didn't hear the soft, accented voice that answered "You shall ever be welcome, young Sarah".


	2. An Interlude

A/N: Thanks everyone for all the great feedback. I felt there was perhaps more to this story that I wanted to tell, so I'm gonna give it my best shot. Please r/r and tell me what you think so far. This chapter is more or less a bridge from the last one to where the story actually starts, so I apologize in advance if it's a little slow.

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

An Interlude

Seven years had come and gone since that fateful summer night when Sarah Williams had vanquished not one, but two villains. She had grown into a beautiful, intelligent confident young woman, with vitality and charisma to spare. She had blazed her way through high school, coming out of her shell in her sophomore year to become one of the most popular and respected girls in her class. She had been President of the Drama Club, Class President, and Valedictorian of her graduating class. In short, she had become the young woman she was always destined to be.

She had also been a watcher, her eyes following every movement her father made. For the first two years after their confrontation, she had done everything in her power to keep him from being alone with Toby. And while this was not always possible, she also watched Toby for any signs that he was being abused by their father. Those signs never came; Toby remained a bright, cheerful and happy little boy. With no reason to be suspicious, Sarah lowered her guard a little, and even learned to relax a bit in her father's company, although she felt she would never truly be comfortable in his presence again.

Sarah had blossomed and was able to be happy most of the time. She had her days, though, when her mind clouded and the darkness of the past threatened to overtake her. Those were always the days that Hoggle chose to visit.

When he had said "Should you ever need us..." she had assumed an unspoken "Just call." But there was never a need to call, Hoggle just seemed to know when things were at their darkest and he was suddenly there to brighten her day. There was a time, immediately following her adventures in the Labyrinth that she had almost forgotten, buried it all in her mind and marked the whole thing off as a dream. But that feeling had passed, and now the Labyrinth was with her all the time. She looked back on it now as the beginning of the start of a new life for her, and because of that she was grateful for those thirteen hours of hell.

When Hoggle came to her, he came through the mirror. It was always the same; she would sit in front of the mirror, feeling the weight of her heavy past on her shoulders, sometimes feeling as though she couldn't carry the burden any longer. And then he would be there smiling back at her through the glass. He would give her updates about life in the underground, and of Ludo and Sir Didymus. Apparently things had pretty much gone back to normal after she left, and it cheered her to know that all was well with them. Hoggle never mentioned HIM though, and Sarah never asked. She didn't know why, for she was curious as to what had become of the Goblin King after their final meeting. It just seemed as though it were better not to bring it up.

Hoggle also wanted to know everything about her life. He would ask her about school, her friends, what play she was working on in the Drama Club, etcetera. He also asked about her family. Sometimes his questions cut right to the core, and she wondered if he possibly knew her dark secret. But of course that was impossible. He was just being polite, or as polite as Hoggle could be.

After the visits, Sarah would almost always feel better. There were times, though, when even Hoggle's cheerful ramblings couldn't bring her back from her dark place. That's when she would feel the hands again. Such a strange feeling it was to be visited by the hands. She could almost feel them on her shoulders, or stroking her hair. It was not as though they were some disembodied spirit. No, the hands seemed more like an idea, a thought that was so strong it could manifest itself outside her mind. They never frightened her; they were a comfort to her when no other comfort could be found. And they pushed her out of her darkness and back into the world of a normal teenage girl.

And so it was that Sarah's life took on a strange sort of normality. And when, in her senior year of high school Karen discovered she was pregnant again, Sarah actually found it in herself to be happy for her, and for her father. Three weeks after graduation, Karen gave birth to a baby girl, the most beautiful thing Sarah had ever seen. She had thick dark hair like Sarah's, but instead of green eyes, hers were the most dazzling shade of grey imaginable. As Sarah held her new baby sister for the first time, she knew she had never loved anything in her life the way she loved this child already. She also knew that once again she would become the watcher.

Sarah applied to a nearby college so she could remain at home while attending school. Karen encouraged her to move into a dorm, saying it would be good for her to get out of the house and on her own. Sarah didn't question Karen's motives, for she knew it was more convenient for Karen if she stayed. But she could never tell her the real reason why she didn't want to leave home, so she assured her that she just wasn't ready for such a big step. And besides, she wanted to get to know baby Maya. At least that part was true.

So Sarah stayed, and Sarah watched. In the four years it took for Sarah to finish College, Maya grew to be a carefree and loving little girl who completely idolized her big sister. Every day when Sarah came home from her classes, Maya met her in the driveway, leaping into her arms hugging her fiercely. Her iron grey eyes would sparkle as she laughed, and Sarah laughed right along with her.

Sarah had patrolled diligently, as she had with Toby, keeping an eye out for signs that her father was preying on Maya. But those signs never came, and by all appearances Richard Williams had learned from his mistakes, and was now the father to Maya that Sarah wished he had been to her.

As the years went by, her relationship with her father became easier, and Sarah felt she almost had a normal family for the first time. As graduation approached, she began making plans to move to the city and take a job as a set designer for a small production company. She had once again set her sights on her dreams, and was ready to chase them.

The human spirit is an amazing and resilient thing. It can bounce back from almost any tragedy or dark circumstance. The human mind is also amazing. Given the right motivation it can open doors to worlds that were never before possible. It can also close doors. Sometimes that's a good thing, but there are times when it's dangerous. And as Sarah Williams made her way into the world and left her dark past behind her, she allowed her mind to shut doors that should have been left open, and to forget things that should never have been forgotten.


	3. Messages From the Mirror

A/N: Look! Another chapter! Yay for me! Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I hope you like the story so far.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Sarah looked around at the pile of boxes that still lined her living room. She had been in her new apartment for nearly six months now, and still had unpacked less than half of her belongings. She wanted to unpack, had tried to several times, but how did you find a new place for something that had sat in the same spot for twenty-three years? Sarah sighed heavily and pushed yet another box aside. She had been looking for one special item for most of the morning, and had yet to find it. Exhausted, she rifled through a smaller box that had been hiding from her behind other larger boxes. Reaching the bottom of the box she spied the object she was looking for and raised it triumphantly over her head.

She stood up and walked back over to the couch to admire her trophy. She ran her fingers over the rough red cloth that covered the book, and then over the golden letters embossed on the front. Somehow, she just hadn't slept well without the little red book in its rightful place next to her bed. She clutched the beloved volume to her chest and walked it ceremoniously to its new home. Her room here bore very little resemblance to the one she had grown up in. The furniture was different of course, and the décor. The frilly pink canopy bed had been replaced by a much more mature queen size bed covered with a blue quilt. The stuffed toy collection that had once lined every nook and cranny of her room had been downsized to a much more modest number of two, and these sat guarding either side of her dresser.

She liked the change; it made her feel independent and mature. There was such a thing as too much change, however, and she reflected on this as she laid the precious book down on her night stand. At least it wouldn't be lonely, for next to it stood an eight inch statuette of a cloaked figure with wild hair and flashing eyes. The morning after her trek through the labyrinth, Sarah had moved this object form her dresser to the bedside table. She didn't know why she had done it, but it had seemed important at the time, and she had left it there for all these years. And when she had moved into this new apartment, the statuette of the Goblin King had been one of the first things she had unpacked.

She sat now on the edge of the bed and lifted the figure gingerly. She turned it over in her hands, admiring the likeness. How well she remembered it all now, when she had almost forgotten. She could still see him, if she closed her eyes, standing on the hill at the start of the labyrinth. She remembered how the wind had moaned as it whipped through his hair and kicked up his cloak. She remembered too, how he had held out his hands to her, offering in one her dreams, and in the other her fears. Most of all she remembered his eyes, _(The Eyes),_ how they had flashed with power and arrogance and something else, something hidden from her. Perhaps this is what she was searching for in the figure, the secret that had been hidden in his eyes.

Sarah's growling stomach woke her from her daydream and reminded her that she had not eaten at all today. She stood and went to the kitchen to find something for lunch. It was as she was cutting up an onion to put in her tuna salad that she suddenly realized it had been nearly a week since she had called home. When Sarah had first moved, she had called nearly every day. Karen would keep her up to date on how everyone was adjusting without her around. Toby regaled her with stories of frogs that he had almost caught, or trees that he knew he could climb if mom would quit being such a spoil sport and just let him. And Maya, her sweet gentle little Maya, would explain that she had helped the frogs get away, because she couldn't bear the thought of Toby keeping them in a tank and away from their mommies. Then she would tell her jokes, the kind of jokes that only a four year old can tell, that go on and on and have no meaning and no punch line whatsoever. And Sarah would laugh as though she had never heard a funnier thing in her life. She laughed to hear Maya laugh, because when Maya laughed it sounded like angel wings brushing against crystal.

Sometimes Sarah would even talk to her father. The conversations were never very long; they generally kept to small talk about the weather or current events. She may have gotten over what Richard had done to her, but she hand never fully forgiven him. There would always be that ominous past between them, no matter how much Sarah wished it could be different. But at least they had learned to be civil to each other over the years, if not for their own peace of mind then for Karen's. She never found out what had transpired that night so long ago, or all the other nights before it. If Sarah could help it she never would find out. She wanted things to be better for Toby and Maya then they had been for her, and if that meant making small talk with the father who had taken her innocence, then so be it.

Sarah brushed her hands off on her jeans and picked up the telephone. She dialed the number and after only a few rings she heard Karen's voice on the other end, "Hello?"

"Hi, Karen, how are you?" she queried.

"Sarah! Hi, honey, I'm so glad you called! It's been a while!"

Sarah smiled at the affectionate greeting. Things had certainly changed over the years. "Too long, I meant to check up on you guys more often," she said.

"Now Sarah," Karen chided, "I don't know why you always feel like you need to check up on us. We're doing fine. We miss you, but we're fine. That's not to say we're not happy to hear from you, though."

"Who is it, mom, who is it?" Sarah could hear Toby's voice in the background, and Karen's slightly annoyed response, "It's your sister, now hush so I can talk to her."

Toby's pleas only got louder when he heard who it was "Lemme talk to her, I wanna talk! Lemme talk to her!" he cried.

With an exasperated sigh, Karen handed him the phone. "Hey Sarah! Why didn't you call?"

Sarah laughed. "Hey to you too, kiddo. I thought I was calling, "she answered.

"Aww, you know what I mean; you didn't call for a long time. I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Tob", Sarah said, "But you have another sister there to harass, you shouldn't be missing me that much."

Sarah could actually hear Toby pout over the phone. "I didn't harass you. Just 'cause I put worms in your bed, you think you know so much. And anyway, Maya's no fun anymore, she never wants to play anything good. She just sits in her room all the time and plays with her dolls by herself."

Sarah sighed. So her outgoing baby sister was turning into a recluse like she was at that age. That was a shame; she would have to talk to her. "Where is Maya now, Tob, put her on the phone."

"I don't know," Toby whined, "she's probably upstairs again. When she's not in her room she's in your old room."

"Well go get her and tell her I want to talk to her," Sarah said, "and give the phone back to your mom."

"Mom, she wants you again," she heard Toby say and then he was gone, and Karen was back on the line.

"Karen, is everything alright with Maya?" Sarah asked. Somewhere in the darkest, most buried part of her mind a voice was nagging at her. Like a worm it was crawling its way through her brain, trying to make its way into a conscious thought.

"Oh, she's fine." Karen reassured her, "I think it's just some delayed depression now that you're gone. She'll get over it soon, I'm sure."

"I hope you're right…" Sarah's sentence was cut off by the sound of Toby's voice, "Maya's coming."

"Okay Sarah," Karen said, "Here's Maya. I have to go finish lunch so I'll talk to you later. I love you!"

The next voice Sarah heard was Maya's soft baby voice, although today she sounded so distant. "Hi Sarah." She almost whispered the phrase.

Sarah frowned, but tried to be upbeat. "Hey Maya-bug! How's my little sugar pie today?"

"I'm okay..." no jokes, no stories, just two words. Sarah was beginning to feel very uneasy. "Okay, huh? Toby says you won't play with him any more. What's up?" She asked.

"I just don't feel like playing," Maya said, and added, "Sarah, why did you leave me?" Sarah felt a tear run down her cheek. Maybe Karen was right, maybe she was just missing her big sister. "Aww, baby girl, you know I didn't want to leave you," she said, "but I had to move away to get a job. I promise I'll come back and visit just as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay, but it won't be the same," Maya said, "Nothings the same anymore. I love you Sarah." And before Sarah could say another word Maya hung up the phone. She stood there for a few minutes with the phone in her hand, trying to make sense of the conversation. She couldn't believe how depressed Maya seemed all of a sudden. She didn't realize how big an effect her moving away would have on the little girl.

_That's not it_, the small voice that was Sarah's subconscious self cried from behind the closed door in her mind, _you know what's wrong, you have to do something!_ But Sarah's conscious mind didn't hear the voice, and so its warning went unheeded. Still, Sarah's uneasy feeling wasn't as easily dismissed, and she wandered into her bedroom, deep in thought. As she walked into the room she heard Crackle! Whoosh! When she looked up Hoggle was standing in front of her, having just come through the mirror.

"Hoggle!" she cried, running to hug her favorite dwarf. "I'm so glad to see you! How are things in the Underground?" Sarah longed to hear Hoggle's tales, knowing that they would get her mind off of the nagging worry that was still building. But no stories were forthcoming. Instead, Hoggle looked at her gravely.

"I ain't come to talks to ya, Sarah," he said, he eyes serious, "I gots a message for ya."

Sarah was intrigued. "A message, Hoggle, from whom?" she asked.

"From HIM." Sarah felt her blood run cold, then hot, then cold again. She knew exactly who HIM was, and for some reason the thought of him sending her a message after all these years filled her with cold dread. "What did he say, Hoggle," she asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"His Majesty says I should tells you 'GO HOME NOW!'"


	4. Going Home

A/N: I'm on a roll, and with very little reviewage to encourage me. What a pity!

Disclaimer: Yes, yes, its ours precious! I mean, um, no, its not.

When Hoggle spoke the words, it wasn't his voice that Sarah heard. Instead, it was a voice from the past; deep, drawling, and with all the commanding tone that only a true king can muster. A wind flew around her room, rustling papers and pulling at her hair and clothes. Sara realized that although Hoggle's mouth was now shut and the dwarf himself was cringing against the wall, the voice was still there, booming, growing ever louder, repeating the phrase over and over

**GO HOME NOW**

until it felt like it would split her in half. Like a battering ram, the voice entered her mind and broke down the doors there. Now the voice was joined by her own voices, freed from their prison and screaming their own warning in her mind, _YOU KNOW WHATS WRONG, SARAH, YOU HAVE TO GO TO HER, YOU HAVE TO GO TO HER, YOU HAVE TO GO TO HER!_

It was too much; Sarah threw her fists over her ears and slid down the doorframe until she was huddled on the floor. "Please, I can't take anymore, please stop!" she screamed. With that the wind suddenly ceased and HIS voice was gone, replaced by total silence and a terrified dwarf's gaze upon her.

Hoggle ran toward her and threw is small arms around her shoulders. "You ain't hurt, are you Sarah?" he cried, his fists clenched in rage. _Damn you Jareth_, he thought, _stop using me to hurt her! _To his shock Sarah wrapped her arms around him as well and clung to him for a long moment, sobbing into his shirt. When she let go there wasn't fear in her eyes but anger and determination. She wiped away the tears and stood up.

Once on her feet, Sarah sprang into action. She would go home, and she would do it tonight. _I should never have left; I should never have trusted him._ HIS voice was back, but much softer now, and only in her mind, where it was joined by her own persistent inner voice, which had never really gone away. _'That's it, young Sarah, go home. Go home as fast as you can.'_ She heard the words as though they had been whispered in her ear.

"Why is HE warning me, Hoggle?" she asked, pulling an overnight bag down from the closet.

"I don't know," the dwarf answered, a bit confused himself, "I guess you'll have to ask him. I didn't even know it was a warning."

Sarah had been throwing clothes into the bag, but stopped when she heard this and looked at Hoggle. "Why did you bring me the message, then, if you didn't know what it was?"

"Because Jareth told me to." He answered simply, and Sarah smiled. Some things never changed. Oh well, whatever the reason, she supposed she should be grateful for the message. It had snapped her out of her denial, that was for sure. She walked over to small friend and hugged him once again, this time placing a quick kiss on the top of his head. His response was not what she expected.

"Oh no!" he cried, and huddled himself into a ball with his eyes squelched shut, as if waiting to be picked up and dropped by invisible fingers. But no fingers were forthcoming, and he opened one tentative eye to find nothing but a confused Sarah watching him. He stood back up and smiled sheepishly, as she turned away to finish her task.

"Thank you Hoggle," she said as she fastened the top of the bag she had been packing. "Go back now, and give HIM a message from me." Hoggle braced himself, expecting to hear the worst. "Tell him I said thank you, and I'm going." Hoggle stared blankly for a moment, and then nodded and jumped back through the mirror.

Sarah had no idea why the Goblin King, once her great nemesis, would be helping her now. But she wouldn't question it now, she didn't have time. Sarah thought for a minute. It was already two o'clock, and it was at least a ten hour drive back to her home town from here. In her current state she would most likely wreck. No, she would have to fly. It might take just as long but at least she would get there in one piece.

The voice had been quiet but now she heard it again, not shouting, but urgent, 'Hurry, Sarah, time is short!' Sarah spared herself a small smile at the memory of the phrase, the same phrase in the same voice but coming from, or so she was beginning to believe, not quite the same man. It was what he told her as she started the labyrinth, her greatest challenge. But no, it hadn't been her greatest challenge, had it. The real challenge had been later, and the real foe. Now she was hurrying to face that foe again.

She grabbed the telephone and dialed the first airline number she saw in the book. She had a feeling that a last minute ticket was going to be costly, and she wasn't mistaken. She pulled three credit cards out of her wallet and maxxed them all out to pay for the trip, and this was just one way. She couldn't worry about that now. She would hitchhike later if she had to, for now all that mattered was getting to Maya. The next flight was in three hours, which left her barely enough time to get to the airport and get through security. She used the phone again, this time to call a cab, grabbed her bag and went downstairs to wait. She sat on the couch, nervously ringing her hands, when she heard the voice again. '_Get up Sarah! What are you doing? You have to go, NOW.'_

_Don't you think I want to?_ She didn't actually speak the words, so much as think them. She had a feeling he could hear her, though, just the same. _I can't just teleport myself wherever, you know, unless you know something I don't._ The voice was silent, but she could feel the impatience mounting. Well, she was getting impatient too. She stood up and walked to the window, but there was no cab. She began pacing the floor, lost in thought.

"If he's hurt her, I'll kill him. If he's touched her, I'll kill him." She mumbled under her breath. _'Just get to her, save her. Don't think about him, think about her.'_ This brought tears to her eyes, and in her mind she felt _the hands_ on her shoulders, comforting. _The hands_, for the first time she really thought about them. They weren't quite normal were they? No, not every young girl had a pair of invisible hands to help her deal with life. Why had she never thought about this before? Why had she never even questioned it? And now, here they were, accompanied by the voice, HIS voice. Did they go together? Were they all part of the same entity? If so, that would mean that it had been HIM all this time, comforting her when she needed it. It would mean it had been HIM who had helped her that night, so long ago. He had been the one holding her hands while she confronted her father. On some level she had thought perhaps they were imaginary, or some guardian angel, a guiding spirit. Never this, never HIM! She reeled at the thought. Why? Why would he have been helping her? He was the enemy, wasn't he? Her mind reeled at the implications of this new revelation, and she thought she might faint, but ironically _the hands_ steadied her.

'_Shhh…Sarah, don't think about it now. All will be explained. For now you have one problem only.'_ Right. One problem she should have taken care of once and for all long ago. She resumed her pacing and a short time later heard the cab blow its horn outside.

Hoggle finally found the King, sitting in a window overlooking the garden, a crystal in hand, seemingly deep in thought. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be concentrating on something far, far away. Hoggle hated to disturb him, but he needed to let him know the deed was done.

"Yer Majesty?" he began tentatively, "I brung her the message, just like you asked." No response. "She sent a message back to you."

"Yes, I know, Hogsbreath, thank you." _Of course you know_, Hoggle thought, _why bother tell you anything_? But he merely bowed and turned to walk away. "Oh, and Hoghead?" Hoggle froze. "Yes, Yer Majesty?"

"She kissed you again, didn't she?" No point in denying it. Might as well face his doom. "Er…um…yes, Yer Majesty." Jareth simply nodded and continued with, well, whatever it was he was doing. Hoggle turned and hurried away, before his cranky monarch had time to think about it any more.

It had only been eight hours since the fateful phone call home that had started all of this, but it seemed like years to Sarah. The long lines through security, the endless flight, even waiting for the cab that was to carry her on the last leg of her journey, had all in one way or another felt like an eternity.

And all along the way, the voice had been there, hurrying her, as if there was anything she could have done to make things go faster. For the most part, though, it had left her alone to deal with her own voices. Her's were less forgiving, blaming her for leaving, blaming her for not making him pay long ago, even blaming her for ever having let it happen in the first place. More than once, hot tears welled up in her eyes and she had to fight the urge to cry outright. _The hands_ were there of course, trying to comfort her as they always had, but now she was wary even of them.

Now she was in the back of a cab that was stopped in front of a house that she knew all too well. The windows were all dark; it was after eleven o'clock, but somehow she knew that at least one creature still stirred in those darkened rooms. She got out of the cab and shoved a handful of bills at the driver, not stopping to count them. She spared herself a moment to stop on the curb to collect her thoughts, but the voice was not so generous. 'Go, Sarah, go now! There is no time to lose!'

The urgency in the voice got her moving again and she strode purposely to the door, her key already in hand. Once inside she dropped her bag on the floor and crept quietly up the stairs, not wanting to awaken anyone, or warn them. She reached the door to Maya's room and stopped, listening. At first she heard nothing, but then, in the dark, there was a small, stifled plea. The sound of a confused little girl begging the man she trusted most in the world to stop hurting her. Sarah knew that sound, that cry, all too well. She felt herself trembling, and suddenly she was four years old again. She saw it all as though it were happening again for the first time, as it was happening to the little one on the other side of the door. The memories flooded back to her and threatened to overwhelm her. She wanted to vomit, but she fought it, and the hands were there to steady her. This time she accepted them graciously and threw open the door.

What she saw on the other side defied all description. It was like looking at herself nineteen years earlier. Maya with tears in her eyes, and her father there with her, his slithering hands everywhere. Cold rage burned so strongly that Sarah could no longer comprehend that any other emotion existed. Richard looked up to see his elder daughter enter the room and his face went pale. Perhaps it was the shock of being caught, but more than likely it was the look in her eyes. He had seen it before, and it had terrified him. It terrified him now as well.

He hadn't seen the gun yet, and afterwards, Sarah couldn't remember how she had gotten it. She supposed she had taken it from Karen's purse when she came inside, but if so she had blocked that out. He saw it now, though, as she raised it and leveled it at his forehead. She walked forward slowly until its cold barrel touched his greasy skin.

"You despicable bastard," she spat, "I told you I would kill you for this. You should have listened."


	5. The Words

A/N: I only got one more review, but it was enough to keep me going. Thanks V, I 'm sorry if it's hard for you to read. It's hard for me to write, but it feels good too. I'm glad you like it, and I hope I continue to live up to your expectations.

Disclaimer: Oh, if only they belonged to me! Not Richard, though, this version of him. You can keep him.

Sarah was shocked to see the gun pressed against her father's forehead, shocked to realize it was her hands holding it. She saw the look of terror and disbelief in her father's eyes, and her hands started to tremble. She took a deep breath and steadied them. _Whatever happens now_, she thought, _whatever you do to him, it's no more than he deserves._

Richard Williams looked up at his daughter's cold eyes, and saw rage, hatred, and just a little lunacy in them. _She's insane_, he thought, _she's gone completely mad. Well if she has you drove her there_, another part of him chided. He hushed that voice; he hated that voice. It was smug and didn't understand anything. No one understood the kind of pressure he was under all the time. Karen certainly didn't, just as Elizabeth never had. He had thought Sarah did, that they had a special bond, but she had proved to be no better than her mother. Now he had a second chance, though, with his darling baby girl. And here Sarah was, trying to turn even her against him. He felt rage boiling in his cheeks. He just wouldn't have it!

"Put the gun down, young lady!" he commanded. To his surprise, Sarah's eyes actually became darker, and she responded by cocking the gun with her thumb. "Why should I, Daddy?" she responded. Richard felt sick. One wrong move and the gun would go off. Perhaps he should try a different tack.

"Please, baby girl," he said, "Please. I never meant to hurt you, you know that. I love you. I've always loved you. I only wanted to be close to you. Maya understands, don't you Maya?" Both of them shifted their eyes to look at the tiny girl huddled in the corner of the bed, as far away from both of them as she could get and still cover herself with her blankets. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Sarah realized that she was afraid of _her_.

"Maya, baby, it's okay. Don't worry, sweetheart. I won't let anything bad happen to you ever again." She said, trying to comfort the child.

"Maya, tell Sarah you're okay! Tell her not to hurt Daddy!" Richard pleaded. Maya looked from one to the other, the two people she loved most in the world. She didn't understand what was happening, she only knew her daddy was hurting her, and that Sarah had stopped him. But this was daddy. She loved daddy, she didn't want Sarah to hurt him either. Tears welled in her eyes and she crouched lower in the corner, not knowing what to do.

"Don't use her like that, you son of a bitch!" Sarah growled through clenched teeth. "You manipulated me all my life, you used me for your own sick needs and you didn't care how I felt. You won't do it to her; I won't have it, I WON'T LET YOU SHATTER HER TOO!" She would end it now; the bastard would never hurt anyone ever again! She felt herself squeezing the trigger when suddenly there was a hand on her arm. She closed her eyes and in her minds eye HE was there, dressed as she remembered him, all in regal black with a cape flowing around him. His hair was wild and carefree, his eyes intent.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked her gently.

"Are you my conscience now?" she wondered. He began to walk slowly around her. She realized they were standing on the red dirt hill at the start of the Labyrinth. Behind them was the very same scrub tree she remembered from so long ago. It occurred to her to wonder if she had gone mad, if she were making this entire thing up in her head. Perhaps she was really locked in some institution somewhere, and this was all a dream brought on by Thorazine.

"I assure you, this is all quite real," he said as though reading her thoughts, "and I hope to have the chance to explain it to you. But for now, young Sarah, it seems you have a choice to make."

"He deserves to die!" she sobbed, and noticed for the first time that she was crying, and had been since she walked in the door. It was the child inside her crying, she realized. The child whose innocence her father had stolen. She wiped the hot tears away, still holding the gun steady with her right hand.

"Perhaps he does," the Goblin King conceded, "Perhaps he does indeed. But now Sarah? And by your hands?" He gestured towards Maya, a thin and waivery ghost in this vision, but there, and looking at her with pleading eyes. "She's young enough; she could forget what he's done to her in time. It's not too late, the damage could be undone. But if you do this, she won't forget. She will live forever with the memory of her sister killing her father, and she will blame herself. Can you live with that? Remember, Sarah, what's done is done."

_He's right_, she thought, _God damn him, the bastard's right_. She opened her eyes and he was gone. So was the hill and the tree and all that was left was the dark room and the two other people in it. For a long moment she held the gun steady, wanting desperately to pull the trigger, to make him pay. And then she slowly released the hammer and put the gun down at her side.

Richard breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived, as he saw Karen enter the room with Toby behind her. How long had she been outside the door, he wondered. Then he saw the look in his wife's eyes and realized she had seen and heard everything. "Karen..." he breathed. She shot him with a cold glare and ran to throw her arms around her baby girl.

Karen's mind was racing. She had awakened to the sound of voices down the hall. When she rolled over she realized Richard was not next to her, so she had gotten up to see what was going on. She had been standing outside of Maya's room, had seen Sarah there with the gun pointed at her husband, and had nearly rushed in to stop her when she heard the conversation. The words were like heavy weights, and she had had trouble grasping their meaning all at once. But then she really looked at the scene, and together with the words that were being spoken realization had crept in. _How long has this been going on? Am I blind? How could I not have known?_ She had looked down to see Toby standing next to her, and realized that he was terrified. She reached down and squeezed his hand. "What's Sarah doing, Mom? " he had whispered. She had tried to smile reassuringly, but knew it had probably looked more like a grimace. "What she feels she has to do, I think, Tob." she had answered. She had been relieved when Sarah lowered the gun, but had fought the urge to take it from her and finish the job herself. Now she was in the room with Maya in her arms and Toby joined her from the door way. The three huddled in the corner and stared at Richard expectantly.

"How long…?" she asked aloud, not knowing to whom exactly she had posed the question. It was Sarah who answered.

"From before I was Maya's age until I was fifteen and strong enough to stop him." she explained.

Karen's jaw dropped, as a million things clicked in her mind and started to make sense. This is why Sarah had been so withdrawn and moody. Why she had had no friends to speak of. All this time she had thought the girl was angry with her for marrying her father. She never knew she had had so much bigger problems. Tears streamed down her face. What had this child faced, what had she gone through, with no one there to protect her? She cursed herself again for being so blind. And was this why she had stayed home for so long? Had she been watching over Toby and Maya? Of course she was. She looked at Sarah with awe. She was so young; it must have been such a burden to carry all alone.

"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me what was happening?" she asked.

"Would you have listened?" There was no malice in the words, only resignation. Karen realized that she had never really been there for this little girl, not one time in all of her life, and she was overcome with regret. She reached out now for Sarah, threw her arms around her, as both women let their tears flow freely.

Richard saw his opportunity and deftly snatched the gun from Sarah's limp hand. Sarah withdrew in shock as she saw the tables were turned and the gun was now pointed at her. "My god, Richard, what are you doing?" she heard Karen ask. But she knew. She saw the look in her father's eyes, and she knew what he was thinking. She was a mistake, a loose end that needed to be tied up.

"I let you get away with that little display when you were fifteen," he explained, "and it went to your head. I should have known better, I should have put a stop to it then. Now look what you've done!" He motioned toward Karen and the children, clinging to each other on the other side of the room. "You've disrupted the entire family. Things will never be the same and it's all your fault."

Although she knew she was about to die, Sarah still marveled at her father's words. Did he really believe what he was saying? Did he really see her as the villain in all of this? She supposed he did, and reasoning with him would do no good. She cursed herself for not pulling the trigger when she had the chance. She didn't mind dying so much, but what would he do to Karen and Toby when it was done? And what would become of Maya? Somehow, she didn't think he would kill her. No, what he would do to her would be far worse. She looked into her father's eyes, and suddenly couldn't remember what she had ever seen there that was redeeming. Such a pity, really, for she had loved him once.

'_Of course you did, but he was never worthy of your love, Sarah.'_ She heard the words in her mind just as the hands came down to rest over hers. She was comforted, but more was needed. _Please,_ she thought, _please, whatever happens, don't let him hurt them_. She was crying, but not for herself. She saw her father cock the gun, and waited for the pain that was sure to follow.

'_He doesn't have to hurt any of you, you know. You can stop it. All you have to do is say the words.' _Sarah suddenly let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Of course! The words! She couldn't believe she was even considering it, but it was the only chance, now, wasn't it? She opened her eyes and smiled coldly. "I don't think so, daddy." she said.

Richard didn't like her tone. He was missing something. "What..?" he started but she cut him off.

"I WISH THE GOBLINS WOULD TAKE YOU AWAY RIGHT NOW!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She laced every word with the rage she felt for the loss of her childhood, for the theft of Maya's innocence, for the tortured look in those tiny eyes of iron grey. "RIGHT NOW GOD DAMN IT!"

A cold wind began to circle around the room, slowly at first, but growing, howling in the rage it shared with Sarah. Richard looked around in confusion, the gun forgotten and limp in his hands. He tried to scream over the sound of the wind, but it was no use. Suddenly, in the space of a heartbeat, the wind was gone, and so was he. In his place, the Goblin King stood, looking exactly as he had that night seven years ago, when she had wished away her brother. The two only stared at each other. All anger or malice she had ever felt towards him had long since faded. Now she didn't know what to feel. He had helped her, been there for her at every turn, but she still didn't know why.

It didn't matter though, because it was over. Her father was gone, he could never hurt her or Maya or anyone else again. She was suddenly very tired, so tired her legs couldn't hold her, and she pitched forward towards the ground. Just as always, the hands were there, but this time they were warm and soft and connected to two strong arms. The Goblin King lowered her gently to the floor, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Jareth…" she whispered, "Thank you." She just had time to notice the blood on his tunic before consciousness left her. In the confusion of the howling wind, she hadn't heard the shot, hadn't felt the bullet pierce her side. She lay now, in a pool of her own blood, the Goblin King's arms around her, his tears spilling onto her face, as he cursed himself for being too late.


	6. Revelations in the World Between Worlds

A/N: Thank you for the beautiful reviews. Velf, you made me cry, thank you for the praise. I'm sorry to have left it the way I did. I was contemplating that being the end, but then Jareth reminded me he had never gotten a chance to explain, so I wrote this one just for him. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Sarah opened her eyes and looked around. She didn't know where she had expected to be when she woke up, but this was certainly not it. She found herself standing in a shimmering room decorated with crystal and gauzy ribbons. There were tables and chairs all around her, all empty. With a start she realized she was in Jareth's ballroom, the one from her fantasy so long ago. But there were no masked dancers floating around her here, no swirling couples for her to weave her way through. Sarah was completely alone. She looked down at her clothing, expecting to see the light blue gown with puffy sleeves that she had worn the last time she was here. Instead, she was wearing a long white strapless gown that was sheer and silky and would have billowed about her had there been a breeze. It was, she realized, one of the dresses she had worn as 'Sandy' in her college Theatre group's rendition of "Grease."

_I'm dreaming_, she thought, _this has got to be a dream. _

As if summoned by this thought, HE entered the room. The Goblin King stepped from behind a pillar and stood before her, hands clasped behind his back, feet slightly apart, as if giving her a chance to decide if he was real or not before approaching. She observed that he was also not wearing his attire from their last meeting in this place. Instead, he was dressed in simple black tights with a loose white tunic, leather belt around his waste, black gloves that flared at the elbow, and knee high black boots. Even in such relatively mundane clothing, he was still a sight to behold. She smiled and he seemed to take this as a sign that it was okay to approach.

He held his arm out towards her as she had seen gentlemen do in old movies. Warily, she took it and he silently led her toward a balcony she hadn't remembered seeing before. As they stepped out into the night air, she stole a glance over the railing. Her heart stopped. There was nothing but stars! There was no land anywhere, only the night sky! It was as if they were perched on the very end of the world. She looked up at him terrified, but he smiled gently down at her and there was something in his eyes that was calming. He beckoned for her to sit on a marble bench that sat against the railing. She did, and he joined her. His mouth opened, he hesitated, and it closed again. He looked at his feet, clearly gathering his thoughts, and tried again, with no more luck than he had last time

Sarah chuckled. Clearly he had something important to say and didn't know how to say it. She thought she would make it easy on him and go first. "Jareth, where are we?" she asked.

He gestured about him "This is the world between worlds" he said cryptically. Sarah nodded as though she knew exactly what he was talking about and then asked "And where is that, exactly."

Jareth sighed, looking at his boots again. Whatever it was he had to tell her, he was not very happy about it. Finally he looked back up at her, took one hand in his. "It's a staging ground, Sarah. It's a place where souls go to wait while the body lingers between life and death."

Sarah let those words sink in for a moment, and then she nodded. "And why am I here?" she asked, though she thought she knew the answer.

Jareth tightened his grip on her hand and looked at her sadly. Were those tears she saw in the great Goblin King's eyes? The look on his face right now, she had seen it before. It was the same look of utter dejection he had worn after she had defeated the Labyrinth, when she had rejected his offer and said the words that would send her back home. It made her heart ache, just as it had then though she never would have admitted it, to be the cause of such pain.

"Sarah," he began, "Sarah, you were injured. Before your father was called away to my kingdom, he fired the weapon he was holding. You were gravely wounded…"

Sarah blanched. She didn't remember it, but it made perfect sense. She recalled the blood on his tunic, and now she understood it had been hers. "Jareth, are you telling me I'm dying? That I'm not really here, but laying somewhere bleeding to death?" Tears began to well in her eyes. Not now! She wasn't ready to go yet! There were so many things she wanted to do! She tried to keep her composure, but couldn't stop the tears that were now rolling freely down her cheeks.

"You're both, Sarah." He answered, stretching out a gloved finger to wipe the tears from her face. "The inner light that makes you who you are, you're essence, is here in this room with me. You're body is in my castle. I've placed the strongest healing spells on you that I can, and every healer in my kingdom is working to reverse the damage. Even your step mother is at your side, doing what she can. But in the end, the damage may be too great. We may not be able to save you.

Sarah let these words sink in before asking the next question. "If this is my after life, how can you be here?"

Jareth leaned against the balcony railing and continued. "This isn't the afterlife yet. As I said, it is a staging ground. Just as I could speak to you in your mind, even project my presence to you when you needed it, I can follow you this far. However, once you cross into the after life, you will be beyond even my reach. That is why I'm here. There are things I wish to tell you, things you need to know, and this may be our only chance."

Sarah nodded slowly, taking it all in. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Okay then," she said, "Tell me." Jareth shifted, trying to make himself comfortable for there was indeed much to tell. "Very well then. I'll try to get through this all at once, but I understand you will have questions, so feel free to ask them." Apparently deciding that there was no comfortable position in which to sit, Jareth stood and began to pace in front of her. That, coupled with the words he had just spoken, reminded Sarah of her college professors. Her amused smile did not go unnoticed by the Goblin King, but he continued as though it had.

"Let's start with what you know of me." he began, "My name is Jareth, I am the Goblin King. This is most likely where your knowledge ends. You may also say that I steal children, although that is not correct. I take children who have been wished away. There is a difference. Although I was born, and could die given the right circumstances, I am an immortal being. There is no name for beings such as myself. Demigod, perhaps, or Seraphim would be close, although I'm a creature of flesh and blood, like yourself. Long ago my kind were split into kingdoms, to rule the realms of magic and lore. There are many dimensions, Sarah, all connected. Almost every myth or legend you have ever heard has some basis in reality. Your world is part of that connection, although its connection has been weakened. The being like myself that ruled your world chose to pass on to the afterlife thousands of years ago, leaving no heir behind. As a result, magic has all but left your world and you would be defenseless if not for those of us who look after it when we can. You see, we felt sorry for your kind, left alone with no king, so some of us took on specific roles, so that you wouldn't have to fend completely for yourselves. The role I chose is as a protector of children.

Jareth paused to allow Sarah time to process this information, and to allow her to ask questions if she had them. Sarah for her part was having a bit of difficulty. Her entire world view had changed in a matter of seconds. She did indeed have many questions, but hardly knew where to start. So instead she beckoned for Jareth to continue.

"In my role, I watch over the children of your realm. I can't be everywhere at once, but I try to help as many as I can. There are rules; I cannot intervene in your world unless I am summoned. This holds true for all of my kind. So when I see a child in a particularly bad situation, I try to plant the idea in someone to summon me. Hundreds of years ago the words were common knowledge, but as the magic of your world wanes, so does the belief in it, and sometimes craftier measures are needed. Once a child is wished away, the person who has done the wishing is given the opportunity to take them back."

"You make them run the labyrinth." Sarah interrupted.

Jareth stopped his pacing and smiled at her. "Rarely," he corrected, "Usually this is not needed, for I can tell the person really didn't mean to wish the child away. In those instances, the child is returned, and neither of them remembers a thing."

"But that's not true!" Sarah said, indignant, "I never meant to wish Toby away, It just happened. You still made me run the labyrinth!"

Jareth nodded, "This is true, but I had my reasons, which I will come to in time. Far too often, no one attempts to reclaim the child. Usually, these children are given to humans or dwarves in my realm to raise, and everyone lives happily ever after, so to speak." Jareth grinned at Sarah, but she waived him on impatiently, so he continued. "In some cases, though, the child has been so abused in one way or another that they are broken inside and cannot be mended. These are the children that are turned into goblins."

Sarah's hand went to her mouth and she gasped, "Oh how horrible!"

Jareth wheeled around and fixed his gaze on her "Is it? Consider the alternative! What becomes of children like that in your world? What pleasures does life hold for them, hmm? Is it not better to become a creature of whimsy, for that is truly what goblins are. I have never seen a Goblin cry, Sarah. Would you deny them that small bit of happiness?"

Sarah had to admit that he was probably right. It seemed terrible, but really, what was the alternative? "I'm sorry, Jareth, I see your point," she conceded. "Please, go on."

Jareth's gaze softened once again. "I know how it must seem to you, Sarah, you're heart is so kind. It hurts me too, when I have to do it. It hurts me all the way to my soul, but it really is the most merciful thing. When I think of the things some of those children have gone through, the torture, the disgusting vile acts, many times caused by their own parents…."

Jareth's eyes were closed and his fists were clenched as he tried to regain his composure. She could see how angry he was at the thought of the pain he had witnessed. How could she have ever though this man evil? She still didn't understand everything, but she had heard enough to know that her world was lucky to have him. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers. This time it was her turn to comfort him. He relaxed his fist and opened his eyes to look at her. His heart ached knowing that this beautiful and gentle creature may soon pass from the world.

"Then there was you, Sarah," he said softly. "I tried to intervene for you when you were very small. I left the red book where your mother would find it, hoping that she would use it to summon me. She never did though. She knew exactly what was happening to you, but instead of doing anything about it, she left you there, to face it alone. She was weak, Sarah. I hope you never spend another day grieving for her loss." He stopped here, waiting for some sign from Sarah that she needed time to deal with this. Her face was a mask, and he continued. "She left the book, which you found. I continued to watch over you, powerless to help you but unable to look away. Of all the children I've seen, you were special. You had a fire and determination, an inner strength I've not seen in many humans, especially in one so young. I knew that if I could only get you to see it and to use it, you would be all right. Then one night, you said the words! You used the book to summon me. This was my chance. I never had any intention of keeping your brother unless you wished it. Toby was never in any danger, either from myself or your father. But I knew I had to challenge you, I had to make you see how strong you were, that you were capable standing up to your father and didn't have to be afraid of him."

"So you made me run the labyrinth." Sarah finished.

Jareth smiled sadly. "Yes. Only that wasn't enough. You needed a villain to defeat. I became that villain for you. As I told you then, I was everything you wished me to be, and thankfully, it worked. You stood up to your father that very night."

Sarah nodded. She remembered it all too well. "It was you there that night, helping me." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. Once you had beaten the labyrinth, you became linked to my realm. I still couldn't manifest physically without being summoned, but I could contact your mind, as long as you held it open for me. And you always did."

"One thing I don't understand," Sarah asked, "At the end, before you sent us back to our world, you offered me my dreams if I would stay there with you. You seemed so sad when I refused. Why was that, if it was all for show? And why have you been there ever since?" She thought she knew the answer, thought she saw it in his eyes even now, but she wanted to hear the words.

Jareth sighed and turned away from her. He placed his hands on the balcony and looked out into the nothing beyond. He had not yet decided if he wanted to share this much with her. If she was to pass from this world, perhaps it was best to let his feelings pass with her, unspoken. But of course, being who she was, she had cut straight to the heart of things. "Because I fell in love with you." he said simply. He didn't turn around; he was afraid to see the look on her face. How could she understand his feelings, or be sympathetic when she had so much else to think about? So he was surprised when he felt her light touch on his shoulder. He turned to face her, and saw that she was crying.

"Why didn't you tell me who you were?" she sobbed, "In all these years, why didn't you tell me any of this?"

He deftly removed the glove from his right hand and gently stroked her cheek. "I tried to tell you while you were here," he said, motioning towards the ballroom. "But afterwards, heart, you had made your choice. Who was I to unmake it?" To his amazement she threw her arms around him and held him to her tightly, her tears warm against his neck. He held her in his arms, savoring the feeling of it, knowing it would be all too short lived. She pulled away from him then and looked up into his eyes, those fiery mismatched eyes that held no darkness at all.

"I have one more question." She stated. "Why does the 'world between worlds' look like your ballroom?"

Jareth fought back tears, and when he spoke, it was no more than a hoarse whisper as he choked back a sob. "It's different for everyone," he explained, "but I'm told it always looks like the place you were happiest." He let his the tears flow then, feeling as though his heart was being ripped from his chest. She reached out to him, but noticed that her hand looked strange, almost transparent.

Jareth saw too, and put his arms around her just as she was hit by a nauseating dizzy spell. "What's happening, Jareth?" she asked drowsily. He buried his tear streaked face in her hair as he rocked her back and forth in his arms. "You're leaving this plane." He sobbed.

"Oh." She answered. She seemed detached, as though she were watching the scene from high above. She felt her heart ache for the sadness in his eyes, felt the warmth of him around her. "My knight in shining armor..." she murmured. She was fading, they both knew it. Soon she would be gone. With the last of her strength, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him. She could taste the salt of his tears on his lips, making the kiss bitter sweet. To find love, only to lose it!

She felt herself getting weaker, willed herself to speak. "Thank you Jareth, for everything." She said, and after a moment's thought she added, "I love you too." And then she was gone, and Jareth was left holding nothing but empty space and the memory of her last words. As Sarah's 'world between worlds' began to crumble around him, he wept bitterly and alone.


	7. Incense and Candles

A/N: Your reviews have been awesome. I thank you one and all. I know this story has gotten very dark, and I've been crying myself while I wrote most of it. I apologize for any tears I may have caused to any of you. The story seems to have progressed from a lesson about the strength we keep buried inside, to one concerning the ways in which we touch lives without even knowing it. I'm glad some of you have found it inspirational. Anyway, without further ado, Chapter the Seventh.

Disclaimer: The vast majority of these characters are not mine, although I'm willing to take them as donations.

Jareth stared blankly at the lifeless crystal in his hands. In the silence of his chambers, in the familiar perch in his window overlooking the labyrinth, he tried to grasp the reality of what had just occurred. His Sarah was gone, taken away in the blink of an eye. The crystal that had projected him into her final moments in this plane of existence was now cold and dark. There was nothing left of her. He had lived for thousands of years, been witness to the lives and deaths of countless mortals. The flames of their lives sparked and faded in his changeless existence like fireflies on a warm summer night. How was it that the loss of this one flame could affect him so?

He knew the answer to that, there was no sense trying to rationalize, though he tried anyway. He told himself that it would have happened eventually, that although he could have extended her life far past her usual life span, eventually her mortality would have caught up with her, and he would have lost her anyway. This thought brought little comfort to the Goblin King. He would have lost her, true, but the time before would have been sweet, and filled with joy. There would have been laughter in his kingdom, and brightness. The sound of his children playing would have filled the barren corridors of his castle, and she would have lived on in them. Most importantly, there would have been countless memories of love and happiness to hold on to.

Now there was nothing, only the void in his heart where all of those things should have been. She was no ordinary mortal, no matter how much he tried to distance himself. Nothing else in his endless existence had ever moved his heart the way that she had. No fire had ever burned brighter. He feared that without her there would be nothing left for him but darkness.

Jareth stood and walked towards the door. The darkened orb in his hand was as cold and useless as he felt, and he absently let it slip from his fingers and fall to the floor. It shattered into bits on contact with the cold stone, and he found this appropriate, and painfully pleasant. If only he could cease to exist as easily, he would join Sarah in the Summerlands beyond the borders of this plane. But that was out of the question. He had no heir to take over his kingdom, and without a ruler this realm would be as lost as Sarah's. The magics would take over and grow of their own volition, causing mayhem and destruction until finally strangling themselves out of existence. He could never allow that to happen, no matter the price he must pay.

He would not pay alone. Oh no, there was another that would suffer, if not for eternity then for as long as Jareth had power to maintain his worthless life. Jareth would see to it that Richard faced justice for the years he tormented his daughters, and for taking Sarah away from him. He would know fully well the consequences of his actions, and he would beg for mercy a thousand times over. It was not in Jareth's nature to be cruel, but Sarah's father would soon learn the very meaning of the word cruelty.

There was another task he must see to first, although he dreaded it with every fiber of his being. He left his own chambers and took the few heavy steps required to reach the room where Sarah had been laid, to heal or die as fate required. He opened the door and saw that the room had been dimmed, and someone had lit incense and candles. Hoggle, most likely, for it was dwarven tradition to burn candles and sage at the deathbed to help the spirit find its way to the next world. As expected, he found Hoggle at Sarah's bedside, his head bent low, whether in prayer or defeat Jareth didn't know.

Sarah's other friends from her journey were also there to pay tribute to their fallen heroine. The small and brave Sir Didymus stood crestfallen, his hat in his hand, while the large and gentle Ludo sobbed shamelessly in a far corner of the room. On the other side of the large bed, in the chair she had not left in many hours, was Sarah's stepmother. Her eyes were red and swollen, both from tears and lack of sleep. Jareth knew she was blaming herself, and that her heart was full of regrets. He took pity on her. She was a good woman, and she didn't deserve the pain she was feeling.

In her lap was tiny Maya, the beautiful child for whom Sarah had sacrificed everything. Jareth swore to himself, and to Sarah, that he would protect this child with every ounce of strength he had. Looking at her was like looking at Sarah at that age, and it made his heart ache, yet he could not look away. She was too young to understand what was happening and must have had a thousand questions, but to her credit she seemed to know that now was not the time to ask them. She merely sat quietly, her stony eyes shimmering in the candlelight.

Beside them was Toby. My, what a fine lad he had grown into. This must be especially painful for him, Jareth knew. He had not had the same experiences with his father that Sarah and Maya shared. Until last night, he had thought his life perfectly normal. Now his world was shattered and crumbling around him. Jareth could relate. He would have to take a special interest in the boy, or he knew his fragile young mind might never recover from this days events.

There were others in the room, servants, healers, a few of his subjects whom Sarah had touched in her short life in some way, and who had come to pay respects. Everyone turned to look at him as he moved through the door, their eyes dazed and expectant. Some of them bowed as he entered, still others saluted. He looked at each of them, silently acknowledging their respect, and then his eyes moved to the bed.

There she lay, as beautiful in death as she had ever been in life. Her skin was pale, her lips a ghostly pale pink tinged with blue. He moved to her side and sat on the edge of the bed. He took one slender hand in his own, shocked at the coldness of it. Without taking his eyes from her face he said "I'd like to be alone." At first no one moved, but it was Didymus who finally spoke. "Of course, sire, as you wish." he said, and began to usher the mourners out of the room. Jareth silently blessed the little creature.

As Karen stood from her chair to leave, Jareth caught her arm. Tearing is eyes away from Sarah's still form he looked up at her. "I've had a room prepared for you and the children," he said gently. "Have one of the guards take you there, and tell them to bring you some food. You must all be hungry and exhausted."

Karen smiled sadly. They had spoken briefly, in the chaos following Sarah's injury. She had been given the "quick version" of Sarah's trek through the labyrinth, as well as Jareth's identity. It had been a lot to take in, but she had coped well and Jareth was pleased. "I am tired," she conceded, "but I hate to leave her." Her eyes wandered to the face of the girl she had never really known.

"You were here when it mattered." Jareth reassured her, but she only smiled bitterly. "I only wish that were true." She turned to leave him but he stopped her once again.

"We have much to discuss," he said, bowing his head, "and plans to make. I will come to you in the morning, if that's alright?"

She touched his face gently; her fingers lifted his chin until he was looking into her eyes. "You've done so much for us, Jareth." she breathed. Then she turned, taking the children by the hand. "I'll be waiting for you in the morning." she called over her shoulder, and then Jareth was alone, free to let his emotions show through the kingly exterior.

His eyes fell to the body of his beloved. He had seen death in all its forms, and yet had never felt the sting of it. When his own parents had passed into the next plane, it had been after living an immeasurable span of time, and they had gone together. There had been no sadness in it, it had just seemed natural. There was nothing natural about this, however. There had been so much left for her in this world, too many things had been cut short.

He began to run his fingers through her hair, across the smooth skin of her cheek. She was so cold. The fire that had burned in her was gone, and all that was left was this achingly beautiful empty shell. He gathered her up in his arms and held her, tears flowing now, wishing beyond hope that he could somehow bring her back to him. All of this power, and yet he couldn't save the one he loved. It was so unfair! He smiled bitterly at the memories this thought evoked in him. Oh, what cruel irony that much of the time they had had together, he had been playing the villain.

Suddenly the pain was too much. He felt it burning in his stomach and in his chest. It rose gradually until it felt as though it would rip him apart. He through his head back and a moan came unbidden from his lips. The moan grew louder and louder, fueled by the rage and greif of a powerful immortal being. It shook the castle to its very foundations. It was heard throughout the castle and even into the Goblin City, and all who heard it bowed their heads in sorrow, lit a candle, and said a said a prayer for their beloved King, and for the love that he had lost.


	8. From the Deepest Depths

A/N: I don't know about you guys, but after all that sadness I was itching to see a little good ole' evil Jareth. So here he is

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, yada yada.

Richard sat staring into the darkness, just as he had been doing for hours. He tried once again to understand what was happening. The last thing he remembered, he had taken the gun away from Sarah, and had it pointed towards her. He didn't know how things had gotten so out of control, he never meant for any of that to happen. He had never meant for a lot of things to happen. He had been furious with Sarah, how dare she try to turn her sister against him? And if that wasn't bad enough, Karen had overheard everything. The way she was looking at him had filled him with rage. He had wanted to kill Sarah! But had he?

He remembered Sarah shouting, and a strange wind filling the room. He had been terrified, and in his terror, he heard a gunshot. Had he fired the gun? He didn't know, for the next thing he remembered he had been here, in this cold dark nowhere. He had no idea how he had gotten here, or how long he had been here. Hours, certainly, maybe days; he had lost track of time. At first he had felt around in the darkness for some kind of clue as to where he was. Stone walls, damp and covered with lichen, met his fingers at every turn. The room was round, the floor was dirt, this much he had discovered. He had found no ceiling, and judging by the echoes his foot steps made in the darkness, the room was very high. He had found no way out at all, and had stopped searching when his hand had brushed something small and furry and warm. He wasn't alone in here, at least, but the thought did not comfort him.

And so now he sat, listening to the sound of his own breathing and the occasional scurrying in the darkness. He felt the nagging hunger in his belly and wondered, not for the first time, if he would starve here. The walls were damp; he thought it would be enough to keep him hydrated for a while, but food would be a problem if he was here for very long. There was his furry companion, if worse came to worse, but it would have to get a lot worse. He tried once again to see…something. But there was nothing, not so much as a speck of light in this place. He knew eventually the darkness would drive him mad.

Somewhere in that very darkness he heard a new sound. A faint whoosh followed by the unmistakable sound of breathing. Perhaps some other poor soul had found himself inexplicably lost in this hole. But he didn't think so. He felt a presence in the room, but it wasn't confused or frightened as he had been. No, it was angry. Through the silence and the darkness he could feel the rage like heat from a fire. He had no idea who this visitor could be, but he was frightened, and he found himself cowering against the wall like a child.

He heard foot steps as the being came towards him, seeming to know exactly where he was although he couldn't possibly see him. They stopped mere inches from where he stood, and he could feel hot breath on his neck, smell the aroma of rich spices and something wild, something unidentifiable. Whatever was here with him was most certainly NOT human. Richard tried vainly to melt further into the cold stone wall as his body was filled with dread.

"How do you like the accommodations, Richard?" The voice would have been pleasant if it weren't so cold, so _dead_. "I hope you find them to your liking, for you will be here r a very long time."

"Who…who are you?" Richard asked, his voice trembling despite his attempts to control it.

"Why, Richard, don't you know?" the dark figure asked, his feigned politeness sending chills up Richard's spine. "I am your Judge, Jury, and Jailer. I am the one whose very soul you will curse as you lie here in the darkness with nothing but rats and hunger to keep you company. I am the Dark Avenger of the woman _I_ loved and _you_ murdered. I am Jareth; do not forget my name for I would hear you call it out in agony a thousand times before I grant you the mercy of death."

Richard tried to grasp all of this, but one sentence was stuck in his mind. "Murdered? Who have I murdered? What could I have possibly done to deserve to be sent to this place?" he asked. Instantly he knew he should have kept his mouth shut, for strong fingers reached out through the darkness and wrapped around his throat. Inconceivably he was being lifted off the ground by his neck as though he weighed no more than rag doll.

"DO NOT MOCK ME!" the creature who called himself Jareth roared. "Do not think to cover your sins from me, for I have seen them all! You have taken advantage of your own children, using them to fulfill your dark desires. You have harmed the very ones to whom you had a duty to protect. You injured their bodies, their minds and their spirits, and you betrayed their trust. For these crimes alone you deserve to starve to death in a dark hole!" Jareth released his grip and Richard fell gasping to the floor. "But above all these things, you have taken the life of the woman I loved, and for that there is no punishment great enough to satisfy me."

"Who?" Richard shouted, "Who's life have I taken? I don't know what you're talking about!" Richard felt the distance between himself and the stranger shrink to nothing.

"Richard, Richard," Jareth chided, so close to Richard's ear that they were almost touching, "You play dumb so well, I wonder if you really are as stupid as you seem. You had a gun in your hand, did you not? It was pointed at your eldest daughter, was it not? You heard the gun fire, DID YOU NOT?" This last was a deafening roar that echoed back and forth against the stone walls of Richard's prison. He cringed against the wall, dreading to hear another word from his tormentor. Jareth continued, his voice no more than a whisper now, "So who do you think you killed, Richard? Who could I be referring to?"

"Sarah?" Richard asked. He felt tears streaming down his cheeks now. "I killed Sarah?"

"Yes, your oldest daughter slain by your own hands, her only crime being love for her sister."

It couldn't be. An unimaginable sadness swept over Richard. _My Sarah! I killed my little girl?_ Memories began to flood his mind of the sweet little girl whom he had loved. Perhaps he had treated her badly, but he had always loved her, and he had never meant for this to happen. He broke down into heavy sobs.

"Save your tears for yourself," Jareth warned, "for you have no right to cry for her."

"I have every right, you bastard, she was my daughter!" Richard shouted.

"A fact that meant very little to you until now." When Jareth spoke next his voice was full of emotion, and Richard was astonished to realize that he was crying. "She was your daughter, but she was the light of my life. You took that light away from me, Richard, and now there is only darkness in my world. It seems only appropriate that I return the favor."

Richard paled as the meaning of the words sank in. "You can't leave me here!" he cried, "I'll starve to death!."

"Oh no, not death Richard, not yet." The coldness had returned to his voice, and it left Richard with and icy chill that sank deep into his bones. I will see to it that you live a long, long life, with plenty of time and solitude to think about the mistakes you've made." As if it were an afterthought, he added, "You don't know what this place is, do you Richard. Then I shall tell you. It's called an oubliette, which means 'little place of forgetting.' And forgotten is exactly what you shall be." There was no time to respond, for with that the stranger was gone, and Richard was once again alone in the darkness. He slid down against the wall, his head in his hands, and wept softly in the endless silence.


	9. To the Highest Heights

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this out. I had to work a lot this weekend. Also, this was a much harder chapter for me to write for some reason. Thanks again for all the great reviews. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, it's very long.

Disclaimer: None of this is real, go back to sleep.

Karen stood silently, watching the scene that played out before her. A few feet away lay Sarah, dressed elegantly in a blue gown of rich brocade and lace, her hair spread around her and adorned with ribbons. She had been laid on a byre at the foot of a raised platform in what seemed to be some kind of grand assembly hall. The hall was lit with candles, and flowers surrounded the byre on which Sarah rested. Many, many more flowers were being added to the pile, as thousands of Jareth's subjects made their way past to gaze upon the woman who had won the heart of their king.

She had not understood why Jareth had insisted on this public funeral. She knew that very few people here had ever even seen Sarah. Why should they care that a mortal girl from another world had died in their lands? But Jareth had been firm, and Karen had not had the heart to argue about it. Watching now, she was glad Jareth had won the argument, for it seemed appropriate to her now that Sarah be so honored, and Jareth seemed comforted it by it.

She shifted her gaze to the Goblin King. Poor, sweet Jareth, she had learned to adore him over the last few days. He had done everything in his power to make her comfortable. He had suggested to her that it might not be safe to return to her above ground life. She conceded that the disappearance of Richard and Sarah, along with the blood that stained the carpet in Maya's room, would be difficult to explain. Not only that, but there would be no way to keep Maya and Toby from talking about what had happened. Besides, what did she have to go back for? Life as she had known it was over. Jareth had offered her a chance at a new life, a chance to start over, and she had graciously accepted. He had offered to take her back to her home to gather belongings that she wished to keep, but she could think of nothing now that wouldn't be tainted with false memories.

The children were heartbroken over the loss of their sister, but they were coping. She marveled not for the first time at how resilient kids could be. Toby was drawn to the Goblin King, no doubt remembering on some level the man who had played and sang to him when he was a baby. They shared their love of Sarah, and their grief over the loss of her, but Toby was old enough to recognize that grown-ups deal with pain differently, and so he kept his visits brief. Karen knew that would change, and eventually Jareth would have trouble getting rid of him. Somehow, Karen didn't think he would mind.

Maya had been a little harder to coax out of her shell. She had remained quiet and withdrawn, until she attracted the attention of one of Sarah's friends from her first visit here. Ludo, the hulking creature with the face of a monster had approached Maya as she stood clinging to Karen's leg. "Ludo fwend" he had said simply, and held out a large furry paw. Karen had expected Maya to be afraid of the beast, but instead she put her tiny hand in his, and he had lifted her up into his arms. Karen would be lying if she said she hadn't found this alarming at first, but Jareth had assured her there was no one in his kingdom that Maya was safer with, save himself. The unlikely pair had been inseparable ever since, and their laughter could often be heard ringing through the corridors of the castle, a welcome change to the aura of sadness that had settled over it.

Karen's attention turned back to the procession of mourners that was now near its end. She had been astonished at the diversity of subjects in Jareth's kingdom. There were Goblins, of course, but there were dwarves as well, pixies, trolls, and other creatures that she had seen in story books, and many she had not. There were also humans, which she had not really expected. Jareth explained that what she saw made up only the smallest fraction of his kingdom, that his realm was as large as the earth, and that there were many, many kinds of creatures that were not represented here today. He also explained that her world had been similarly populated many thousands of years ago, but that as the magics there had died, only the hardiest of races could survive. She supposed that had been a compliment to humans, but Karen felt humbled in the presence of so many mythical beings.

The procession had stopped now, and all present stood at the foot of the platform in the front of the hall. Jareth stepped into view, more regal than any human king had ever been. He wore a long silver brocade cloak over matching pants and vest, and a white shirt beneath the vest. In place of his usual knee high leather boots he wore a more formal pair that stopped at the ankles. On his head was a silver crown with an emblem at the center that matched the amulet he wore around his neck. Jareth seldom wore his crown, and Karen had never seen it before.

When he reached the center of the platform, he turned to all present and they knelt before him in unison. Karen, too, knelt before the great king. He stood quiet for a moment, and Karen thought that he would speak. Instead, to her astonishment, he began to sing. His voice was breathtakingly beautiful, the melody heart wrenching, and the words were in a language she had never heard before. She stood with her mouth agape. She bent down and whispered to Sir Didymus who was standing next to her, "What's he saying."

The little creature looked at her with shining eyes. "He sings in the ancient tongue of his kind, M'lady." He explained. "I speak but little, though from what I can understand it is a dirge for a fallen queen."

"Queen?" she murmured, as she stood back up. As the word escaped her lips, Jareth was turning to a goblin who approached him, head bowed in respect, holding a blue fringed pillow made of satin. Upon the pillow was a silver crown, very similar to the one Jareth himself wore, but smaller and more delicate. Jareth lifted the crown gingerly, and paused both in motion and in song, as though he were lost in thought. When he continued the dirge, the emotion in his voice was thick. He held the crown above his head for all to see, then knelt down next to Sarah and gently placed it on her head. After this he placed a tear filled kiss upon her lips, and stood upright once more. Upon seeing this, the crowd once again bowed low, but now they were not so quick to stand up.

The sadness in the room was palpable, and Karen finally understood why Jareth had insisted on the public ceremony. It wasn't just a funeral, it was a coronation. Jareth had let it be known that he considered Sarah his Queen, and that she should be remembered as such. It was more than Karen could bear, and the tears she had been holding in check finally broke free.

Sarah didn't so much wake up, as come to the realization that she was awake. It was a strange feeling, as though her consciousness had blinked out of existence, and then blinked back in. She had been in Jareth's arms, had felt herself fading and now she was…where? She was standing in a meadow of some kind. There was a forest around her in every direction, but she was in a clearing. There was grass here, the softest and most beautiful green grass she had ever seen. There were flowers of every color and description, that seemed to grow with a will of there own. There was a stream at her feet, shallow and bubbling happily away as it traveled from one end of the woods to another. There were birds singing and in the distance she could see small animals cavorting in the warm sunshine. It was, in short, the most beautiful place she had ever imagined. _Then why are you so miserable?_ she asked herself.

She realized with amusement that instead of the angelic robes she had expected she was in a tee shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. It must have meant she was supposed to walk, but she could see no obvious path into the woods, and she had no idea where she was supposed to go from here. She could follow the stream, but which direction should she take? It would help if she had some idea where she was or why she was here. Frustrated, she sat down at the edge of the stream and absently picked at the grass around her. _Great_, she thought, _you've been in the afterlife for twenty seconds and you're already confused. _

She heard a rustling noise in the trees behind her, and turned to see a woman step into the clearing. Not just a woman, but the most beautiful woman imaginable. Sarah could scarcely believe so much beauty could exist in one place. It was almost too much for her eyes, and she had to fight the urge to look away. She wore a gown of purest silver, her hair the same color and flowing about her as though it were alive. Her eyes were blue and shining, her skin fair, and a gentle smile played about her lips. Her face was ageless; she could have been 16 or 60, it was impossible to tell. She wore a crown that seemed to be moving, although from where Sarah sat it was hard to see it clearly. Also, she seemed to be glowing, a faint warm glow that reminded Sarah of moonlight.

Behind her, another figure stepped into the clearing. He was strange, and almost frightening in appearance. He wore a long robe of shimmering gold, the color of sunlight in autumn. He had human features, except that in the place of feet he had split hooves, and on his head a magnificent rack of antlers. He, too, seemed to glow. He was definitely not human, but then Sarah figured the woman was probably not human either.

She looked back to the woman again, who was still smiling warmly. Sarah was not sure what to do, so she stood and, after another moments thought, bowed humbly to the pair. The woman's smile grew broader, and she opened her mouth to speak. "Is this the young mortal who has set my lands to talking?" she asked. "Is this the great slayer of labyrinths, and of immortal hearts?"

Sarah didn't know what to say, so she merely introduced herself. "I am just Sarah Williams, my lady." This last phrase was strange in her mouth, but it seemed appropriate. She had no idea who this woman was, but she felt compelled to show her the utmost respect.

The woman placed her hand on the top of Sarah's head and bade her rise. "Yes, Sarah Williams. Long have I watched you child, for you are most intriguing to me. You are wondering who I am, are you not?" Sarah nodded shyly, and the woman continued. "Of course, very few in your realm recognize me anymore. When the magics died in your world, my existence became a burden to those who would seek to use religion to subjugate others, and so it became a crime to even speak of me. None the less I do exist, as all of these men have learned eventually." She smiled conspiratorially at this last statement. "I have many names, Sarah Williams, and many faces as well. But you may call me Great Mother, for it is I who created you, and all that you have ever known."

Sarah gasped. She had known that she was in the presence of someone very important, but…God? This is certainly not how she had pictured her creator. But, then, isn't that what she had just been told? Without thinking, Sarah fell to her knees again, her face low to the ground. Suddenly she was afraid to even look at the beautiful woman who stood before her.

Great Mother laughed softly, the sound of a thousand wind chimes in a gentle breeze. "Stand, child." she said, "You have nothing to fear from me." Sarah did as she was told, and the woman gently stroked her cheek. The feeling was like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold night. "I can see why he loves you so." the woman said. "I know a great deal of love, for I too have a soul mate." She gestured towards the man who had accompanied her out of the forest. He had not moved from the edge where he had emerged, nor had he spoken. He merely watched the two women before him, smiling at them when he noticed their attention on them. "This is my consort, Sarah. He is called the Hunter." The male figure bowed to her cordially, but still did not speak. The woman turned her attention back to Sarah. "You seem so sad child. I am unaccustomed to sadness in the Summerlands, for this is a world made of dreams."

"I have only one dream, Great Mother, and I'm afraid I left him behind." Sarah said, and began to cry once again.

"Yes, you found the love of an immortal. Jareth, one of the dearest of my servants, if I am not mistaken. True love is hard to come by in any realm, dear Sarah, and I know it is hard for you to lose it so soon I have no doubt Jareth would have married you, would have made you his Queen. Look, he has done so anyway!" With that, the beautiful Goddess removed her shimmering crown and held it in her hands. On closer inspection Sarah realized it was not made of any metal. There were tiny pinpricks of light, arranged in swirling patterns, some larger than others. They were arranged in a ring, but somehow seemed infinite, as though if she could only see past the first few swirls, there would be millions more behind them. Sarah gasped as she realized what she was seeing. Stars, galaxies, planets all held within the outstretched hand of the woman before. _She wears the Universe as a crown!_

Her tears forgotten, her grief momentarily pushed aside, she stared at the amazing sight before her. As she did so, the scene began to shift, the stars seem to come towards her, and move past her. She felt as though she were flying through space and time. The vision became faster, faster, until the stars were a blur as they moved from her line of sight. There was no sound, no sensation of any kind except the dizzying feeling of floating through eternity. Then suddenly she stopped. She was looking down at Earth, except there was more than just one. As the vision unfolded, the Earth expanded so that there were twelve replicas in a line behind it. The thirteen dimensions, she realized, though she had no idea how she knew this. The vision shifted again and her attention was focused on one of these replicas. She was drawn closer, again moving forward. She was flying over fields and oceans, mountains and trees.

A familiar sight caught her eye. The Labyrinth! And beyond it, gleaming like a jewel in sunlight, Jareth's castle. Black crepe lined the turrets, balconies, and windows. Every door and window was closed and the curtains drawn. She was drawn inside, drawn deep into a large room she had never seen before. There were people here, and creatures of every sort. Thousands of beings drawn together, but for what? She hovered over the crowd, and moved forward to the front of the throng. She looked down at the crowd. There was Karen, with Sir Didymus standing beside her. They both looked as though their hearts were breaking. A short distance away a large red furry creature stood, his face an unmistakable mask of sorrow. In his arms was her own darling sister. Maya's arms were wrapped around Ludo's neck, her faced buried in his furry shoulder. Next to them were Toby and Hoggle. They, too, wore tear streaked faces. Why was everyone so sad? Then her gaze moved to the byre at the foot of the platform. She saw herself, eyes closed, hands folded over her chest. It was only then that she remembered her pain. This shell, this body, was all that was left of her in their world. Her joy at seeing her family and friends crumbled. This is why they were crying, because she had left them. She wanted to run to them, to tell them that she was still here, but she couldn't move from the position she held as she floated above them.

Then she heard the singing. In all of her life she had heard nothing more beautiful, more haunting, than this mournful voice and its heartbreaking melody. It seemed to echo inside her, as if it were calling to her through the veil that separated her from the world it was in. She looked up to find the source of the otherworldly music, and there he was. Her life and her love, stood before her, before her empty body, before the gathered throngs of onlookers, and he was singing. Her heart ached as she saw the pain in his eyes. Although she couldn't understand the words he was singing, she could tell he was having a hard time keeping his composure. His eyes were ringed with red, and she knew that he had spent a great deal of time crying.

She became aware of a presence beside her, and turned to see that Great Mother had joined her in her invisible surveillance. "He sings for you, child," she said, knowing the question that burned on the tip of Sarah's tongue. "He sings of his love for you and of his grief."

As Sarah watched, a crown was brought to him, small and beautiful, matching the larger one he wore on his own head. She stared silently as he knelt to place it on the head of the dead girl that she had once been. She saw him kiss her, and touched her own lips, willing to feel his warmth on them. She watched in awe as everyone assembled bowed low before her lifeless body. "What does it mean, Great Mother?" she finally asked.

"Jareth has proclaimed you his Queen, Sarah. He has given his heart and his soul to you. He has publicly declared that for the rest of his days he will love no other."

Sarah's heart was aching. "Oh, Jareth," she whispered. To her amazement, his head snapped up, as though he had heard the words and was looking for the one who had spoken them. He couldn't see her, though, and he bowed his head once more.

She felt a light touch on her arm. "Come child, it's time to go." With that, they were once again standing in the clearing by the stream, and the cosmic crown once again adorned the Goddess's head.

Sarah fell to her knees and sobbed. "Why?" she pleaded through her tears, "Why did you show me this?"

"So that you would know just how much he loves you. It is no small thing, the love of an immortal. He has bound his soul to you, even in death."

"And what good does that do either of us, when he's there and I'm here." Sarah cried.

Great Mother smiled. "Perhaps we shall soon find out what good it has done." With that she placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah felt a calming sensation rush over her. Her mind was soothed, and she couldn't remember what she was crying about. The weight on her heart lifting more and more, and a dreamy smile began to play at her lips. She felt happy. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good. She struggled to remember, it seemed vitally important that she remember. She was dancing; there was a soft voice singing to her. She could almost remember, but it was so hard. She could here the tune in her mind, and she began to hum it softly. Who had she been dancing with? In her memory she looked up into a pair of shimmering mismatched eyes. Suddenly, the memories flooded back to her, and she pushed the Goddess's hand from her shoulder.

"You're trying to make me forget! She screamed. "Those memories are all I have left of him! You have no right to take them away, and I won't let you." In the corner of her vision she saw the hunter begin to move forward, but Great Mother motioned him to stay. She smiled, and it was much kinder than Sarah expected after her outburst. She stroked Sarah's cheek, and Sarah warily allowed it.

"There's the fire!" Great Mother said. "I was afraid it was gone, but I see it burns still, as does your love for him. Tell me child, if you still lived, would you have accepted his suit? Would you have become his Queen?"

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but there was too much emotion trying to come through at once, and she closed it again. She took a moment to collect herself, and tried once more. "I would have given him all that I had." She answered simply.

"That is all I wanted to know." Great Mother said, sounding inordinately pleased with herself. She held out an outstretched palm once again, but this time instead of her crown, it held a crystal, much like one of Jareth's crystals.

"What is it?" Sarah breathed, staring into the swirling mists within the object.

"If you look inside, it will show you your dreams" Great mother answered. Sarah concentrated, and the mists began to move aside. She saw Jareth, dressed as he had been at her funeral and standing on the same platform. In fact everything was the same, except that he was smiling broadly and so was everyone else. Then she saw herself, dressed in a long white gown, a crown on her head, white ribbons and flowers in her hair. He held out his arm to her, and she joined him. It was a wedding she was seeing. No sooner had the realization come to her, than the scene shifted.

Now she and Jareth were sitting on a couch of some kind in front of a fireplace. He was sprawled out and sleeping, she lay next to him on her side, reading a book. His arm was around her, his hand spread protectively over her large round belly. Sarah felt tears rolling down her cheeks, and the scene shifted again.

They were outside in a clearing much like this one. The sun was shining and she sat on a blanket watching some kind of game. Karen was next to her, holding a tiny baby girl, and smiling fondly. Maya was older, perhaps twelve, but her steel grey eyes were unmistakable. She and Ludo were running and laughing in the grass chasing two other, younger children who also howled with laughter. She noted with interest that the older of the two, a little boy, had remarkable mismatched eyes. Just then Jareth and Toby joined them. Toby was so tall! Jareth leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and then sat next to her. He reached out to take the babe from Karen, and kissed its tiny little head.

Sarah wanted to see more, but the crystal began to fill with mist once again. She looked up at Great Mother, and unspoken plea in her eyes. "No, Sarah, the time for dreaming is done." She answered. Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but the Goddess place a hand on her and she began to feel dizzy. Slowly she slumped to the ground. Her eyes wide with fear she looked up at the Goddess, unable to speak. The last thing she saw was Great Mother's gentle smile, and then all was darkness.


	10. Forever

A/N: A HUGE thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. I'm so happy you all have liked my story. I think this may be the end, I'm not sure yet. I hope you all like it, either way.

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me, I'm just borrowing them, I promise to put them back where I found them, safe and sound.

_The ballroom was brightly lit, and merry courtiers were gliding across the dance floor, their faces covered with glittering masks. They laughed and twirled, oblivious to their King and the determined expression he wore on his uncovered face. He was searching for something, searching for **someone**. He strained to see over their heads, barely catching a glimpse of a pale figure weaving in and out of the crowd. He made his way toward her, finding only empty space where she once stood. Again he searched the throng, spotting her elusive form on the other side of the room now. This time he tried to make out where she was going, and cut her off before she could slip away from him again. _

_She was startled when he took hold of her, but then she smiled warmly. He took her into his arms and they began to dance, their bodies so close not a whisper could fit between them. As they swayed in time to the music he sang to her, the words of the song piercing his heart even as she lay soft kisses along his jaw, the corner of his lips, finally on his lips themselves, silencing his serenade. He kissed her in return, a powerful kiss that was meant to devour her wholly._

_Suddenly a clock chimed, and she was pulled from his arms. They reached for each other, trying to hold on to their embrace, but she was being dragged away by unseen hands. He called out her name, but she was taken from his view, beyond his reach. To have searched so long, only to hold her so briefly…was it worse than never having found her at all? He sank to his knees, as the dancers fell still and watched him with sad eyes._

Jareth woke with a start. It was the same dream he had had every night since Sarah's death. His bed was a shambles, and wet with sweat. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept more than an hour or two. He was falling to pieces, and he knew it. He absently wondered how long the grief would be so strong. He had been told that time healed all wounds. Well, that may be true for mortals, for whom time was such a fleeting thing, but time passed slowly for his kind. Would the grief be this fresh for him in a hundred years? Two hundred? Surely he would be mad by then.

He had to see her. She lay in the Great Hall for one last night; tomorrow she would be placed in his family tomb, alongside his mother and father, and their fathers, and their fathers' fathers. It was a tomb built for kings and queens, and she was the greatest queen of all.

Perhaps she should have been entombed today, when the ceremony was over, but he couldn't bring himself to put her in that cold dark place just yet. He had to know just for one more night that she was still near to him, and now he longed to see her one last time, alone, with no prying eyes to pity him.

He stood and with a flick of his wrist was adorned in his usual attire. He crept silently down the hall, careful not to wake any of the goblin guards who lay sleeping outside his chamber door. He made his way to the great hall and carefully opened the great wooden doors. He closed them behind him and now, no longer needing to be quiet, took long strides towards the byre where his love lay in her endless slumber.

But when he got there, he found nothing at all. She was gone! Rage flared in the great king's eyes, and he began to storm back down the aisle he had just traversed. He didn't know who could have taken her, or why, but when he found them he would hurt them until they screamed for mercy, and then he would hurt them more. As he reached the door he was startled by the tiniest of sounds. A faint rasping that could not be accounted for. He spun around, and felt a chill despite himself. "Who's there?" he called. There was no reply, only the slight sound of someone breathing. "I demand you show yourself!" he cried again.

He saw a faint shape in the moonlight near a far window. He stepped towards it, only to watch it disappear. Now the sound came from the other side of the hall. He spun around to face the intruder once more. He heard a voice, achingly familiar and very soft in the thick night air.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way _back_ to the castle beyond the goblin city."

Jareth felt his spine tingling, and hairs stood up on the back of his neck. It couldn't…it wasn't possible! "Sarah?" He whispered, taking tentative steps in the direction from which the voice had come.

The voice spoke again, louder this time. "I have fought my way to the castle beyond the goblin city…" it began, and then its owner stepped into a column of moonlight, casting a ghostly pall upon her pale skin. But her lips were pink, and her eyes sparkled... "_To take back the heart you have stolen_." she added, a smile appearing on her moonlit face. Then she finished, her words ringing in the great hall. "For my will is strong and death has no power over me!"

Through all of this Jareth had been standing dumbstruck. Now he closed the distance between himself and the apparition. He stopped short of her, and warily held out his hand, afraid that she was just another dream, or worse, a hallucination. She stretched her own hand out and placed it in his. Jareth felt his heart stop. She was warm. By all the gods she was warm and soft and _alive_! He wanted to cry out in joy, but all he could manage was tear filled, half whispered "Sarah..." The word was not a name, but a prayer, a silent invocation of gratitude to the only one who could have given this gift.

Quickly he closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. He paused to look into her beautiful green eyes and she said "So do you plan to kiss me, or have you forgotten how?" He threw his head back and laughed, the first laughter he could remember for…well…many years. And then he put his mouth on hers and kissed her, pouring every ounce of joy and relief and passion into it.

As they kissed she ran her fingers through his hair, caressed his face, his neck, his arms, his chest, reveling in the warmth of him. She needed as much reassurance as he did that it was not just a dream. He reluctantly took his mouth from hers and withdrew, still holding her tightly so that he could take in the site of her. Her skin was flushed now, and her lips bright red from their recent exploits. He drank in her beauty, his hand absently roaming her body even as he watched her close her eyes and smile at his caresses.

"How is this possible?" he breathed, finally able to speak.

She opened her eyes and looked at him seriously. "I don't really know." she said. "I was actually hoping you could explain it. And this too." She added holding up the hand that wasn't tangled in his hair. He gazed in silent wonder as a perfect crystal formed on her fingertips. She manipulated it back and forth across her hand just as she had seen him do many times. Then she tossed it into the air and to his amazement it became a dove, which circled them twice and then flew out of an open window.

He had known something was different about her, had felt the charge of magic around her, but he hadn't realized it was coming _from_ her. "Sarah…" he began, fighting his heart, which was telling him to shut up and kiss her again, "You have to know something. What do you remember?"

And so Sarah recounted her journey through to the other side of the veil, and of her meeting with the Lady of the Summerlands. "She put her hand on my shoulder," Sarah finished, "and that's the last thing I remember. I honestly don't know what happened after that."

_What had happened after that_ she wondered? She had awakened in this room, only moments before. It was, in fact, at the exact moment that Jareth had awakened from his nightmare, though she didn't know it. She had been confused at first, but then she recognized the Great Hall, and the flowers and the dress she wore. When she realized she was lying on her funeral byre, she panicked a bit, and wished fervently to be in another part of the room. To her astonishment, she was there almost as soon as she wished it. Shocked, she tried again, and again she was somewhere else. She almost panicked again, but then Jareth had come in. Just the site of him had calmed her.

She was deep in thought now, and roamed distractedly up the aisle of the Great hall, her fingers brushing the petals of the flowers that lay everywhere. Some of the bundles of flowers had notes attached to them. She picked one up now and read it softly to herself. Jareth was behind her, watching quietly but with great interest. She picked up another and knew by the scrawling handwriting and choppy sentences that it had been written by a goblin. She chuckled a little at the words 'Me so sorry you not live. You nice lady. You good queen.'

Jareth placed his hand lightly on the small of her back. It was a little thing, but it spoke volumes. He watched as Sarah picked up another note, and another, moving in a slow circle around the byre. "Darling," he said softly, "Can you read these notes?" She looked up at him as though he had grown a second head.

"Of course I can." she said, slightly confused at the renewed look of wonder on his face. "Some of them are a little sloppy, but they're legible."

"Legible maybe," he said, an amused smile playing at his lips, "but none of them are in English." It was her turn to be amazed, and she put up no fight as he took the small stack of notes from her hands. He held one up to her, the silly one that had made her laugh. "See," he said, "This one is in Goblin. Very low Goblin actually." He frowned at the note. There seemed to be something sticky on it. He let that note drop back to the pile of flowers and discreetly wiped his hand on his pants. Then he held up another, "This one is Low Elvish. And this one," he said, holding up a note that was written on what seemed to be a large glittering flower petal, "this one is Fairy. There are many other languages here as well."

Sarah took the notes back from him and gathered up a few more. Now that she compared them she could see he was right. They were in different languages, some of them vastly different. She realized with a start that most of them were not even in any kind of alphabet she was familiar with. Some seemed to be flowing patterns of circles, while others where crude stick drawings. And yet she could read them all as if they were in plain English. She looked up at Jareth, fascinated. "How is this possible?" she asked.

He laughed. "I don't know why you keep asking me. I've given up on that question."

She looked around again at the Great Hall, and raised her hand absently to her head, where she found the crown that Jareth had given her earlier that day. She felt a wave of sadness, suddenly, remembering the song he had sang for her. She looked up at him and saw sadness in his eyes as well. She laid her head on his chest and was comforted by the sound of his heart beating so close to her. "I've seen this place before, Jareth." She said.

"Yes, when you were brought here to watch your funeral." He sighed, stroking her hair.

"No, not just then. I saw it in my dreams. When I looked into the crystal, I saw this place." She remembered that in the dream they had been standing on the platform, so she closed her eyes and wished to be there. When she opened them they were.

Jareth chuckled. _How many other new tricks has she learned_? he wondered.   
"And what were we doing in this dream of yours, my heart?" She looked up at him, about to speak, but her cheeks blushed a fiery red and she ducked her head shyly. He put two fingers under her chin and lifted her face until their eyes met. "Come now, little girl. No being shy with me now."

"I think we were getting married." She whispered conspiratorially.

Jareth smiled, but then his face turned serious. Perhaps this was the best opportunity to pose a theory that had been forming in his mind. "There is a story, "Jareth said, pacing now, "a myth really, that if one of my kind were to fall in love with a mortal, and she with him, and their love was true, the mortal will be granted immortality. In short, the mortal becomes one of us. It's just a story" he added quickly, "I've never heard of it really happening. And the myth says nothing of raising people from the dead."

Sarah frowned, deep in thought. "You said yourself that every myth has some base in reality" she mused.

"Those are myths in you're world, Sarah." Jareth said. "In my world, a myth is older than time." Even as the words were uttered a bright light entered the hall and moved toward them. Jareth held Sarah to him protectively as they watched the apparition come closer. Just as it reached them it stopped. Before their eyes it shifted, forming itself into the shape of a woman. With a bright flash of light the orb was gone and in its place Great Mother stood. Jareth instantly knelt before her, his face nearly touching the ground. Sarah followed his lead, of only slightly later than he.

"My Lady," Jareth said, still not raising his eyes to look at her. "To what do we owe this honor?"

Great Mother placed her hand lightly atop Jareth's head. "My darling Jareth," she sighed, "look at me, that I might see those stunning eyes of yours."

At that Jareth raised his head and smiled at his mistress. "I am yours to command, My Lady." He said politely but, as Sarah noted, with a little less humility as before. Sarah too raised her head, if only to get another glimpse of Great Mother's overwhelming beauty. To her surprise and delight, Great Mother laughed, that wonderful chiming laugh she had heard in the clearing.

"Rise, young Jareth. You always were the most charming of my creations." She took both of them by the hand and lifted them to their feet. "I have come to grant you my blessing upon your union."

Jareth raised an inquisitive eyebrow and glanced at Sarah. "Union, My Queen?"

Great Mother smiled lovingly at them both. "You have given your heart and your soul to this young lady, have you not? And did you not also publicly declare her your queen?" She asked and Jareth nodded. "And Sarah, when you were with me, you said that you accepted his gift. You said you would 'give him all that you have'. Is that still the case?"

"Yes Great Mother," she said, smiling at Jareth as he took her hand in his. "All I have to give."

"Then the deed is done. You are soulbound to each other. This is a bond stronger than marriage, and stronger than time." She turned her gaze to Sarah and added, "And stronger than death."

"So the myth is true?" Jareth breathed.

"Yes, Jareth." Great Mother said. "A mythical gift for a mythical creature and the woman he loves."

Jareth bowed before the Goddess once again, Sarah swiftly joining him. "Mother," he said, "How can we repay you for this gift?" To his shock, Great Mother knelt next to him.

"It is a small thing, darling Jareth, but one you well deserve. You have been alone too long. All I ask is that you take good care of each other, and continue to watch out for my children." At this she turned to Sarah, her eyes twinkling. She leaned close and whispered something that only Sarah could here, and kissed her softly on the forehead. Then she was gone.

Sarah and Jareth stood and stared at each other for a long moment, not knowing quite what to say. Jareth was the first to finally speak. "Sarah," he whispered, not bothering to hide his wolfish grin, "I think that was our wedding."

Sarah laughed, but inside she was tingling, and she absently touched the spot on her forehead where Great Mother had kissed her. "It's not exactly as I pictured it." She said, "But I can't think of a better qualified person to conduct the ceremony. Does this mean I'm immortal now?" she asked.

"Not just immortal, but one of my kind," Jareth answered, putting his arms around her, "I'll teach you how to use your new powers, but not tonight. We have plenty of time for that. Do you think you can handle being with me forever?"

She hugged held him to her tightly. "I don't think forever will be long enough." She said and added. "Isn't someone supposed to tell you to kiss the bride?"

"I'm the Goblin King, no one tells me what to do!" he said with mock arrogance, and swept her into a fiery kiss. When she opened her eyes and caught her breath she realized they were in a bedroom. Jareth's bedroom, she supposed.

"Did I do this?" she asked.

"Oh, no, this one was me." Jareth said, tracing the line of her jaw with his finger. "This is our wedding night after all, and it's already half over. I don't intend to waste another minute"

Sarah blushed deeply, and touched her forehead again. Jareth saw the gesture and momentarily stopped his explorations. "What did she say to you honey?" he asked, for clearly it was on her mind.

Sarah shrugged. "Nothing really, she just said to enjoy my wedding night, and she would see to it that the rest of my dreams were set in motion."

"Do you know what she was talking about? What other dreams did you see in her crystal?" Jareth asked.

Sarah thought hard about it. Her time in the otherworld was beginning to feel like a lifetime ago. She had seen a wedding and then….Sarah smiled as she remembered the second dream. Perhaps it was best to keep it to herself for now. "I don't remember." She lied, "I guess we'll see when we see." She looked around the room and saw a large fireplace on the other side of the bed, and in front of it the couch from the dream. "When does it get cold enough to use a fireplace?" she asked. Jareth was puzzled by her sudden change of topic, but humored her. "We have a short winter here, but not for another five or six months." He answered, and she smiled again.

Jareth was pretty sure she was keeping something from him, but he would let her have her secret. He had other things on his mind right now anyway, and he wasted no time picking up where he left off. He waved his hand and soft music could be heard. Sarah smiled, and conjured her own magic. With a flick of her wrist they were dressed the clothes she had seen in her dream of their wedding. Jareth held out his hand cordially. "Dance with me, My Lady?" he asked. She took his arm and they began to dance as they had so many years ago. He looked into her eyes, her beautiful green eyes that swallowed his soul, and whispered "I love you, Sarah"

She gazed at him in wonder and answered "And I love you, Jareth, more than anything." He began to sing to her, and she put her head on his shoulder happily. This time there were no clocks to break the spell, and no invisible hands to pull them apart.


	11. Bliss and Interuptions

A/N: This is dedicated to LadyAniviel: You wanted more, I'm happy to oblige. In fact, I had all those loose ends worked out in my head, but I just thought it seemed so nice to end it where I did. I suppose, however, that people hate loose ends, so let's tie them up! Besides, I don't think I could have left them just yet anyway, they've begun to haunt my dreams.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Sarah lay awake watching Jareth sleep. She supposed she should be asleep as well; the sun was not yet up and her night had been, well, eventful. She just wasn't tired, though. Perhaps it was her new immortal energy, or perhaps it was because technically she had been asleep for days. It didn't matter, because what she really wanted to do was wake Jareth up. She reached out to touch him, ran her fingers gently through his hair, across his cheek, his lips, his neck, his chest… She stopped herself, though it was difficult. He was sleeping so peacefully. She knew he had rested very little lately, so she shouldn't disturb him. If they were to be together forever, he had time to sleep now.

Oh, but it was so hard, and finally she had to get out of the bed or she knew her resolve would melt. She stood up and made her way to the balcony. She was naked, but she didn't care. It was still dark and the night air was pleasantly warm against her skin. The night was dying, and the moon had almost finished its journey across the sky, but she could still see traces of the labyrinth below her by its fading light. She sighed contentedly as her mind wandered back to the night's events.

She still couldn't believe everything that was happening. It seemed like only yesterday she had been living in New York, starting a new job, and generally alone. And now she was a queen, bound to her once great enemy, who she had come to realize she had never hated. In fact, she knew now that a part of her had always known that it was his hands that held hers when she felt that she couldn't go on. That's why she had kept the statuette of him so next to her bed. Part of her knew, and that part of her loved him even then and needed him to be close. It was her soul, she realized, crying out for the one she was meant to spend eternity with. Now her soul was finally happy, and so was she.

Last night, on the balcony, he had held her in his arms beneath the stars. "Sarah," he had said absently, "You should try to shape shift." She had looked up at him and smiled lazily, "You mean turn myself into an owl?" she had asked. "All of my kind can do it, I'm sure you can too." He had answered.

Sarah had been intrigued. "How do I do it?" she asked, and to her amazement Jareth jumped onto the balcony railing. "Like this!" he said and leapt gracefully into the air. He changed in the space of a heartbeat, one second he was a man, the next a beautiful white owl gliding gently on the night breeze. She had clapped her hands in glee. "Do I just think of being an owl when I jump and I turn into one?" she called. _Not just an owl, we can shift into any animal we like. This one is just my favorite._ he said in her mind. _Though I suggest if you're going to jump from the balcony you choose an animal with wings. _

She had looked over the balcony railing at the ground far below. "Okay," she said to herself, "no hippopotamus." She had climbed onto the railing, albeit not as gracefully as Jareth had. She supposed that would come with practice. She closed her eyes and let her subconscious decide what form to take, and then she jumped. When she opened her eyes she was soaring high above the ground. She could feel the wind rushing past her and she laughed gleefully. _Good choice_ Jareth thought to her. _It suits you_.

He had flown in beside her, and they began flying around each other in playful circles. _What am I_ she had thought back to him. She felt him laugh inside her mind. _I believe you're a raven_. He had answered. She turned around and lit herself on the balcony rail, flapping her wings out so that she could inspect them. Sure enough, she was greeted by feathers that were so black they were almost blue. Jareth flew in beside her, transforming back into his human form as he landed. He held a hand out and she hopped onto it. He had stroked her head lovingly. "Did you enjoy that, my love?" he asked and she trilled happily. In his mind she said _I felt so free! _ He smiled. "Yes, it is a wonderful feeling. But there will be more time for that tomorrow. You're a breathtaking raven, but I'm more interested in your human form tonight." He had said with a wink.

(&(())()((+)+))()()(&&&&&&(&)()(()()(()((&)

She smiled at the memory. That had been hours ago, and she longed to feel the wind on her feathers again. She longed to feel a lot of things again. She glanced back over at Jareth's sleeping form wistfully, and sighed. The sun was beginning to come up, and she suddenly realized she was hungry. How long had it been since she had eaten? Well, there was nothing to do about it now, she would just have to wait until Jareth woke up. She made her way back to the bed and climbed back in silently. Jareth stirred slightly and smiled in his sleep, and she snuggled in close beside him, determined to sleep until he woke her.

She had nearly drifted off when there came a loud banging on the door. Her eyes flew open and the first thing she saw were Jareth's eyes opening as well. They stared at each other for a second, wondering if they had imagined the noise when it came again, louder this time. "Jareth!" a small muffled voice called. Jareth's face paled.

"Hide!" he whispered urgently. She looked at him in confusion, when the door was flung open. She hurriedly pulled the bedcovers up over her head. She heard foot steps rush into the room and then a thud as something jumped onto the bed. _What in the hell?_ She thought. Then she heard the sound of someone sobbing.

"Children, whatever is the matter?" she heard Jareth say, and risked a peek from under the sheets. The thump on the bed had been Toby, and he was now next to Jareth, crying into his shoulder. Jareth had sat up and now had his arm around the boy, speaking to him soothingly. Next to the bed Maya stood with tears streaming down her face, though she said nothing. Jareth held his free arm out to her and she ran to his embrace. Sarah felt her heart tighten in her chest at the sight before her. When had they become so close? She supposed they had drawn together after her death. She felt a pang of guilt, suddenly. They had come straight to his room last night; it had occurred to neither of them to let anyone else know what had happened. Now as she watched her brother and sister crying she had the ominous feeling that it had something to do with her.

Her feeling was confirmed when Toby spoke again. "Sarah's gone!" he sobbed. "Maya and me wanted to go see her again, but she's not there!"

"Somebody tooked her, Jareth!" Maya added solemnly. Jareth glanced at her, his face stricken. He didn't know what to say to them, but he too was feeling terribly guilty.

"No, honey," he said soothingly. "Nobody took her. In fact, I have a surprise for you." He glanced at Sarah again, but she was no longer next to him. Sarah had blinked herself behind the children, remembering at the last second to blink some clothes on as well.

"A surprise?" Toby asked, wiping the tears from his eyes. Sarah chuckled softly. Toby never could turn down a surprise. She stood perfectly still as Jareth pointed in her direction. The children turned around to see what he was pointing at, and both of them gasped when they saw her. Toby shrank back a little closer to Jareth, but Maya slowly walked toward her. Sarah knelt down eye level with her sister, who held out her hand and touched her face.

"Are you a ghost?" Maya asked, her eyes wide.

Sarah put her arms around the little girl and lifted her as she stood back up. "No, baby, I'm not a ghost." To Sarah's surprise Maya laughed and hugged her tightly.

"I told Mommy you would wake up, but she said you wouldn't. She said dead people never wake up, but I knew you would!" With that Maya laughed again and wiggled happily in Sarah's arms. Sarah glanced at Jareth, her eyebrows raised. Jareth shrugged and mouthed 'kids' as he smiled in amusement. Sarah put Maya down and reached out to Toby, who was still clinging to Jareth.

"Its okay, Toby." he whispered to the boy. Toby took one slow step toward Sarah, and one more. He stopped and Sarah worried that he would turn and go back to Jareth. But then he closed the ground between them in the space of a heartbeat, and threw his arms around her sobbing.

"I was so sad Sarah!" he moaned. "Why did you die? No one would tell me what happened, but I think Dad killed you. And I was so scared, Sarah!" She lifted him into her arms, ashamed that she had let him go another night like this needlessly. She carried him to the large bed, where Maya had already joined a bemused Jareth and was playing with his hair. Jareth winced as Maya found a tangle and tried to pull it out with her fingers, and Sarah had to stifle a giggle. Maya was obviously over her shock and had moved on to other things. Sarah sat on the bed and held Toby in her lap, rocking him gently.

"I'm sorry, kiddo." She said softly. "I wish I had all the answers for you, but some things are just too complicated. I'm back now, though, and I'm not going anywhere."

"You promise?" the boy asked, sniffling. He looked up at her expectantly and she kissed him lightly on the top of his head.

"I promise." She said, and he smiled at her, obviously comforted.

"Why are you in here, Sarah?" Maya asked, her eyes never leaving the braid she was now making in Jareth's poor abused hair. "Are you married now?" She asked.

Jareth seized his opportunity to free himself from her torture and grabbed the little girl, twisting her around playfully and holding her upside down to face him while she giggled. "How do you know so much, goblin fodder?" he asked, pretending to be mad. Maya just giggled again, seeing right through him. "Are you gonna have babies with Sarah?" she sang and his eyes widened. He looked at Sarah, his eyes silently begging for assistance. She laughed and took the little girl in her arms, tickling her.

"You ask too many questions, munchkin." She said, putting Maya on the floor.

"Why don't the two of you go teach the kitchen servants how to make breakfast?" Jareth said, and the children laughed and ran out the room. As they passed through the doorway, Maya started singing "Sarah and Jareth sittin in a tree." and Toby joined her, "K-i-s-s-i-n-g!" They could be heard laughing and singing all the way down the hall.

Sarah sighed. "That'll raise a few eyebrows, considering everyone else still thinks I'm dead." she said. She was still amazed at how astute her baby sister seemed to be.

"No doubt," Jareth laughed softly, pulling him to her. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Like the dead." She lied, and he gaped at her scandalous choice of words.

"Oh that's it," he said, "time to teach you some manners, young lady." With that he flipped her onto her back and began tickling her mercilessly. She squealed in mock horror and pretended to fight back as he tormented her. His tickling became gentler and before long he was kissing her. She stopped fighting and closed her eyes happily. "Where did all these annoying clothes come from?" he breathed and began unlacing the flowing shirt she now wore. She ran her fingers through his hair, gently picking out the knotted braids Maya had put there. His kisses moved lower, down her neck and onto the bare flesh of her chest that he was still hard at work exposing. He looked up at her and smiled triumphantly as he managed to free one breast from its prison. He held her gaze as he teased her nipple with his tongue and she gasped in delight.

"Oh Jareth…" she sighed, "Jareth we have to stop." Her eyes were closed in pleasure, but reluctantly she tried to pull away.

Jareth held her a little tighter and continued his gentle torture. "Why would we want to stop?" he breathed, his voice thick with desire. His whole mouth was on her now, and suddenly she couldn't remember. It must not have been that important. She tried to say as much, but it came out sounding like a muffled moan. "That's what I thought." Jareth chuckled.

Losing his patience with the clothing, he snapped his fingers and they were gone. He pulled the sheets over them and continued where he had left off. They were both so caught up in the moment they almost didn't hear the strangled gasp behind them. They poked their heads up out of the sheets, and were greeted by a very confused Karen staring back at them, her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with shock. "That's why." Sarah said breathlessly, and pulled the sheet back over her head.


	12. Mother and Child Reunion

A/N: This one's for WindGuardian87, who I am gravely worried about and whose sudden demise I would feel overly responsible for. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I had trouble finding this one. I have about fifteen pages of alternate versions of this chapter. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, and I hope you like this one.

Disclaimer: The Labyrinth does, in fact, belong to me. I bought the rights last Wednesday. Ooops, I'm sorry, that's not accurate. I bought a mocha decaf latte last Wednesday. My mistake.

Jareth sighed. "Don't you leave me to face this alone." He whispered to Sarah, who was still hiding her face beneath the sheets. He felt, more than heard, her giggled reply. He straightened himself in the bed so that he was sitting up, sheets tucked firmly around him, realized that the sheets weren't quite thick enough, and covered himself with the bedspread as well. Then he turned his attention to Karen, who was still staring in wide eyed shock. "Why Karen!" he said, forcing a smile, "What a pleasant surprise!" He was trying desperately not to blush, knowing it was most unregal.

He felt Sarah giggle again, and pinched her gently beneath the sheets. She gave a startled yelp and guiltily uncovered her face. "Hi Karen!" she said, and waved. 'I told you to stop' she growled silently to Jareth.

'I wasn't thinking clearly,' he thought back to her. 'You should have tried harder.'

Karen had finally taken her hand from her mouth, but was still staring at the two of them. Her eyes were shimmering, and Jareth knew she would be crying soon. For the second time since she had come in the room, he was feeling very guilty. This is not how she should have found out that Sarah was alive; she deserved better.

When Karen finally spoke, her voice was tremulous, and her words halting. "Oh….Oh my God." she breathed in a voice that was almost a whisper. "Oh Sarah, is it really you baby?" Sarah was slightly taken aback by the term of endearment; she had expected shock and possibly anger, but this was completely unexpected. Karen took a few faltering steps away from the door and closer to Sarah. As she came closer she knelt down next to the bed where Sarah was sitting and took Sarah's hand in her own. Sarah was almost as stunned as Karen now, and didn't know quite what to say. Karen looked up at Sarah, her expression almost pleading, as though she were begging her to be real.

Sarah smiled and squeezed Karen's hand reassuringly. "It's really me, Karen." She said, finding her voice at last.

On hearing Sarah speak Karen cast off her trepidation. She stood and sat next to Sarah on the bed, gathering her stepdaughter in a warm embrace. She hugged her fiercely, crying softly into her neck and stroking her hair. It was a motherly embrace, one that told the unimaginable pain of losing a child, and unfathomable joy at her return. Sarah gratefully returned the embrace, her own tears flowing now. She had no idea Karen had been so affected by her death. Although she and Karen had stopped hating each other long ago, they still had never been close.

Jareth watched the reunion and smiled warmly. He knew the two of them had much to talk about, so he conjured himself some clothing and stood up to leave. Sarah pulled away from Karen and turned her attention to her husband. "Where are you going?" she asked. She and Karen were both looking at him expectantly.

"I thought I would have word sent to the rest of the kingdom that you have returned, darling. They'll all be anxious to meet their Queen, I'm sure." He answered and gestured to Karen. "The two of you have things to discuss, and since I'm sure some if it will concern me, perhaps it's best if I'm not present while you do so." He smiled wickedly and walked around to the other side of the bed. He bent to kiss his bride and as he did so thought to her '_We'll pick up where we left off later_' and she blushed in response.

Both women watched the Goblin King as he left the room, and then Karen turned to face her once again. Sarah braced herself, thinking that surely now the lecture would come. Instead Karen smiled kindly. "When the children told me you were here, I thought surely they were mistaken." She said. "But they were so excited, so happy. To be honest, I was frightened."

Sarah looked at her curiously. "Frightened of what, Karen?"

Karen hesitated, thinking her words out carefully before she spoke. "I'm not sure, really. I just knew I had to come and see for myself. Even now I'm having trouble believing it. I won't bother to ask how this happened, I've had too many shocks to my system lately. I'm sure your handsome King had something to do with it. However it happened, I'm glad you're here, Sarah. I've never been gladder of anything in my life."

She stood now and began to pace. Sarah waited to hear what she had to say, not even trying to guess anymore. Karen had been nothing but surprises so far, and Sarah patiently waited for the next one. Finally Karen spoke again. "There are so many things I've wanted to say to you." She began. "After you were…after your confrontation with your father, things changed for me so quickly. My whole life was turned upside down." Sarah nodded; she supposed it had been. It couldn't have been easy for her, learning her husband was a pedophile, coming to the Underground. She was sure Jareth must have been a complete shock. As if hearing this last thought, Karen continued. "Jareth was very kind to us. He took us in as though we were part of his family, and he explained everything that had been happening over the last few years. It was hard for me to come to grips with, but the worst thing was that when I finally had, there was so much I needed to tell you, and you were gone."

Sarah squeezed Karen's hand reassuringly. "I'm here now, Karen, and I'm not going anywhere."

Karen smiled again, tears shining in her eyes. "Sarah, I'm so sorry, honey." Sarah opened her mouth to protest but Karen waved it away and continued. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you when your father and I got married. I felt threatened by you, but that was no excuse. I was being childish. But most of all, I'm sorry for not realizing what was happening to you. I wish that you could have come to me and told me, but I'm sure I never made that easy for you. You were going through hell, and I only made it worse. I'll never forgive myself. You should have had someone to stand by you through it all."

"I did." Sarah said simply, looking longingly towards the door through which Jareth had just left. Hearing Karen's words had made her realize once again just how much Jareth had done for her, without her even knowing it. She felt a wave of love for him, stronger than any before it. Then she turned her attention back to Karen. "I'm sorry too." She began. "I'll never forgive myself for letting my guard down. I should have been watching out for Maya better, but I got distracted, and she paid for it."

Karen shook her head. "No, Sarah. You gave your life for Maya. You have nothing to be sorry for. Besides, I don't think she remembers any of it. This place seems to have reversed any damage that was done. She hasn't even mentioned her father since we've been here."

This aroused Sarah's curiosity. "This is the first time I've thought about him, come to think of it." She said. "I wonder where he is."

Karen only shrugged. "I don't know, I've never asked Jareth what happened to him. To be honest, I don't care. So…" Karen changed the subject quickly, "Maya tells me that you and Jareth are married now?"

Sarah beamed, happy to be thinking of something more pleasant. "Apparently we are." She said, pointing to the crown that had been carelessly tossed in a chair at some point during the night.

Karen grinned. "And was this a condition of your miraculous, um…, homecoming, or merely a side effect?"

"A little of both I suppose." Sarah's eyes clouded over a bit as she remembered the events of the previous night, and she sighed happily. Her growling stomach brought her back to the real world. "I want to tell you the whole story, Karen, but right now I really need some food. The last thing I remember eating was airplane peanuts."

Karen laughed. "Of course! I'll get out of here so you can get dressed. We can talk more later." She gave Sarah one more hug and then left the room. Sarah got up and began sorting through the piles of clothing that were on the floor. She separated Jareth's clothes from her own, but found nothing that was suitable. She would have to conjure something. She thought about what kind of dress would be appropriate for the occasion and closed her eyes. When she opened them she was wearing a long red gown of silk with sleeves that came to a point at the wrist and a neckline that plunged just far enough to show the top of her bosom. Her hair was tied back in a loose pony tail with matching red silk ribbon, and she wore comfortable flat shoes of a similar color. She looked in the mirror at herself and smiled. This would do nicely. She headed for the door but then though better of it. Was there a protocol for this sort of thing? She really didn't know. She called out for Jareth in her mind, '_Can you hear me_?'

'_I can hear you, love, is something wrong_?' he answered almost immediately. She smiled happily, and wondered if this link had any range on it, or if they could talk to each other anywhere. '_I'm ready to come down_,' she thought, '_Should I come alone, or should you escort me_?' "I would be honored to escort my wife to breakfast" he said, and she whirled around to find him standing behind her. He paused, taking in every inch of her. "And might I add, you look stunning this morning, my Queen." He said, holding out his arm to her. "Why thank you, Your Majesty." She answered, sliding her hand through the crook of his elbow.

Sarah knew that she had never been so happy in her life. So why was it that as she walked through the doorway and down the hall arm in arm with the man she loved, all she could think about was her father?


	13. Family Tree

A/N: This chapter was much more fun to write, and therefore a second update in the same day. Thank you all so much for your reviews, they make my day and I love you all.

Disclaimer: I do not own the labyrinth or any of the other famous works of literature I have defiled in the following paragraphs. My utmost apologies to JRR Tolkien, who I'm sure is spinning in his grave.

The day had passed at whirlwind speed. She had descended the staircase on Jareth's arm, and entered into a whole new world. At times she was almost overwhelmed by the adoration and respect being shown to her as she made her way through the halls of the castle. It seemed she could not go two feet without someone bowing before her. She was amazed at the variety of subjects in under Jareth's rule. She only remembered goblins before, but now there were elves and dwarves, humans and fairies, and enchanted creatures of every shape and size.

There were other differences as well. The castle seemed much cleaner than it had before, and much more stately in its adornments. There were rich woven tapestries on the walls, as well as lining the floors. Furniture made of hardwoods and intricately carved were scattered about, polished to a high shine and covered with luxurious knick knacks. Enormous chandeliers made of crystal and gold hung suspended from the ceilings, thousands of candles burning brightly within them. It was almost too much to take it.

Jareth watched her in silence as she studied everything she passed. They came through a large hallway that opened into a balcony that overlooked a large room. It seemed to be some sort of assembly hall, though not as grand as the one she had awakened in. Behind her there was a portrait on the wall, a portrait so large she wondered how it had fit through the castle doors. There was an older man in the painting, with long white hair and a flowing white beard. He was wearing a robe, and in his hand he carried a staff of ivory. He seemed ancient, yet mighty as an oak, and there was a twinkle in his eyes which defied explanation. He had an expression of quiet dignity bordering on arrogance. and Sarah was reminded of Jareth when she saw him for the first time. Surely this imposing figure was some relation to the Goblin King.

"My great-grandfather, Mithrandir." Jareth confirmed, "One of the first of my kind, and the builder of this castle. It was he who tamed this realm and the magics within it. He was a great man." Jareth was looking at the painting with a kind of reverence Sarah had never seen in him, and she watched him with almost the same reverence. She was amazed by just how much she didn't know about the man she loved, and looked forward to learning it all.

As they began walking again, she motioned towards one of the tapestries. "I don't remember all of this from before, the castle seemed almost empty then. Why is that?" she asked.

"Ah, it was all part of the illusion, darling." He said, smiling mischievously. "You see, you needed to see me as the enemy: cold, empty and without comfort. This perception had to be maintained not just in myself, but in everything I touched, all the way through the labyrinth and the city to my castle and even my subjects. I believe you'll find many things that aren't as you remember them." He stopped, wrapping her in a warm embrace. "But don't worry, later I shall show you the kingdom as it really is, and I think you'll find it agreeable."

They had arrived at breakfast in time to find Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus running through the doors. Apparently, word had spread of Sarah's return, and they were anxious to see for themselves. It was the first time Sarah had seen Hoggle express such unguarded emotion, as he hugged her and cried unabashedly. Ludo, on the other hand, had always been an open book, and his joy at seeing her again was loud and genuine. For his part, Didymus seemed only capable of saying "My lady!" over and over again.

Once the shock had dimmed they had shared breakfast together, Jareth at the head of the table, Sarah at his right hand, and family and friends surrounding them. It was the first meal of its kind for Sarah, and she had never felt so at home. The company engaged itself in pleasant conversation, and cheerful voices mingled with the tinkling of silverware against china, crystal against wood. More than once Sarah looked up from her plate or her present discussion to find Jareth watching her silently, his eyes sparkling and a hint of a smile on his lips. Neither of them realized that they had held hands throughout the meal, his right hand laid gently atop her left, but it didn't escape the attention of anyone else at the table.

True to his word, after breakfast Jareth had taken her on a tour of the castle, and of the Goblin City. Just as he had told her, things were much different than she remembered them. The city was a real city, filled with all sorts of people, not just goblins. They were going about their business, some working in shops, others cleaning, still others taking children out for a stroll. It was mundane and magical at the same time.

The city was much larger than she remembered as well. It had seemed very small when she had fought her way through it to storm the castle as a teenager, and nearly empty. Now it was bustling with people and there were houses of all sizes, as well as tall buildings, lined on streets that seemed to stretch out past the horizon.

Inside the castle he had shown her other portraits of his family. There were others of his great-grandfather, though none as imposing as the one in the entrance hall. There was also a portrait of another man who resembled the first in many ways; he too had long white hair and a flowing beard. But his eyes were mismatched like Jareth's, and he had the same hawk like features. Jareth explained that this was his father, Myrddion. Sarah stared at him, awestruck. Jareth's father…the concept sent a shiver down her spine. What she would have given to meet this man.

Next to the portrait of Jareth's father was one of a beautiful woman with waves of long black hair that flew around her as though swept by the wind. She wore, of all things, battle armor of rich black leather, and in her hand she held a spear. She seemed both old and young, and in her eyes Sarah saw defiance and willfulness. This was a woman that could be incredibly generous and kind, but had the power to be deadly when provoked. "Your mother…" Sarah breathed.

Jareth eyed her curiously, wondering what she was thinking. "Yes…my mother." He said softly, the word mother becoming almost a prayer. "She was a powerful woman, and a mighty Queen. I have missed her a great deal." He turned to Sarah. "You have a quite a lot in common, you know."

"We do?"

"Of course." He said, gesturing toward the painting once again. "You're both powerful, strong willed women. You both fell in love with the Goblin King." He paused to look at her, a glint in his eye, "And I hadn't thought of this until now, but when she shifted, she nearly always chose to be a raven."

"Really?" Sarah said. She didn't know about the other things, but she wondered if the raven was significant. She didn't know why she had chosen that particular shape. In fact, she hadn't even known she had until Jareth told her. "What was her name?" she asked, suddenly wanting to know more about her.

"Muirghan." Jareth answered. "Although the people of your realm called her Morrigan. Many years ago, she was worshiped as a goddess there."

"In my realm?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, my family seems always to have been fascinated by your realm, all the way back to Mithrandir. Twenty thousand years ago he left the Goblin Kingdom to his son and went to your world to help them fight the great evil that threatened to devour it."

"What great evil was that?" Sarah wondered. She had never really excelled in history, but as far as she could remember there hadn't really been any people in her world twenty thousand years ago. But of course, according the school books elves and trolls and goblins had never existed either.

"I once told you that the one of my kind that ruled your realm had chosen to pass on without an heir. That was not precisely true." He sat on a bench beneath the portraits and gestured for her to sit beside him. "You see, our kind were set aside to rule the thirteen realms, to maintain order and keep the magics under control. He wanted more, he wanted to be the greatest of the thirteen kings, and he abused the power that was given to him. He risked the balance of the magics of his realm by trying to gather them all into one place. If he had not been stopped, your realm would have been destroyed. He used the orcs, trolls, goblins, and some men to fight for him, but an alliance formed between elves and men. There was a great battle and he was nearly destroyed. Unfortunately, the finishing blow was not delivered, and after thousands of years he managed to gain enough power that once again he threatened to destroy your realm. That's when Great Mother sent my Mithrandir to step in and aid the alliance against the evil Orc King."

Sarah thought about the story, feeling that she had heard it somewhere before. Suddenly, she remembered. "Wait a minute, the Orc King! Was his name Sauron?"

Jareth's eyes widened. "How did you know that?" he sputtered.

Sarah laughed. "It's a book, Jareth! Almost everyone in my realm has read "The Lord of the Rings." She saw the look of astonishment on his face and laughed again. "No one ever would have dreamed it was true!" she said. Then another realization hit her. "Was your great-grandfather also called Gandalf?" He didn't have to answer; the look on his face was affirmation enough.

"I had no idea that there were stories written about my Mithrandir. I would like to read this book, this 'Lord of the Rings." He said.

"If only we had a DVD player, I'd let you see the movies." Sarah said, still laughing. What would her English Lit professor think if she told him she was married to Gandalf's great grandson. "Did Gandalf really sail away with the elves when it was all over?" she asked.

"I suppose that's a poetic way of putting it." Jareth smiled wistfully. "He chose to pass to the other side of the veil, and most of the elves went with him." He sighed. "He was a great man, I wish you could have met him. He always made me laugh."

Sarah sobered a bit at these words. "Wait a minute, he left twenty thousand years ago, and you knew him? Just how old are you?"

Jareth sighed. "Does it matter to you how old I am?" he asked.

"No, but…twenty thousand years!"

Jareth leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Finally he opened them again. "I don't really know how old I am; I've lost count. I was just a boy really when Mithrandir left our world, but a boy who had already lived for centuries."

Sarah's stared at him for a moment. Did it matter to her? He was the same man, nothing had changed. Of course it didn't matter, it was just that much more she had to learn about him. She laid her head against his chest and he put his arms around her, holding her tightly against him.

"There are stories of my father in your world." He said. "I've seen them, but most of them are ridiculous. You may have heard some of them as well."

"I don't remember the name." she said, not moving from the comfortable spot she'd found in his arms.

"In your world they called him Merlin." Jareth said and Sarah started laughing again, laughing so hard that she could be heard throughout the castle.

Jareth had finished his tour by leading Sarah into the garden that could be seen from their bedroom window. It was beautiful, with flowers and plants growing in such a way that their colors blended and harmonized. Here and there fountains rose from the flowerbeds and whispered their watery secrets to the plants in their care.

Sarah sat on a bench next to a bush of purple tinted roses. It had been a busy day and she was very tired. Jareth sat next to her and put an arm around her. He reached across her to the rose bush and gently snapped off one of the blooms. "So what do you think of your kingdom, my love?" he asked her gently, placing the rose behind her ear.

"Mmmm…my kingdom." Sarah purred. "It's beautiful."

"Well there is much more to see, you've barely left the castle grounds." Jareth told her. "Just wait until we visit Icecap Mountains to the north, or the Plains of Arendo in the west. There's an entire world to explore."

"But not tonight." Sarah yawned. "Tonight I just want to visit a hot bath and my bed."

Jareth chuckled. Whatever My Queen wants, she shall have." He said. He was about to blink them back to their room when Sarah opened her eyes again.

"Jareth," she asked, "Where is my father?"


	14. Forgiveness in the Dark

A/N: Things were getting a little too light and fluffy for my taste, I had to put some darkness into it. I'm a sucker for realism. Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. Keep them coming, please!

Disclaimer: Only the wordcraft is mine.

Jareth stared at Sarah for a moment, not sure what to say. Truth be told he had not thought of Richard since Sarah's return, and so it had never occurred to him that the punishment no longer fit the crime. He watched her, trying to gauge what her reaction would be, but her face was an open book.

Jareth's hesitation did not go unnoticed by Sarah, and she looked at him uneasily. "Jareth," she sighed, "What have you done?"

Jareth stood, instantly becoming defensive in the face of Sarah's implied rebuke. "Much less than he deserved, I assure you!" he told her, "And less than my heart demanded."

"Is he…is he alive?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, he's alive!" Jareth spat, then softened a little seeing the stricken look on Sarah's face. "At least I think he's still alive. I haven't checked on him for days." Then turning back to face her, studying her, he asked honestly, "Why should you even care? He doesn't deserve your concern."

Sarah felt a lump growing in her throat. Why did she care? After everything he had done to her and to Maya, why shouldn't she just forget him and go on with her life? Perhaps it was because she knew she was responsible for his being here. Perhaps it was because she had been given a second chance, she felt her father deserved one too. Or maybe it was just a scared little girl that still wanted to believe that there was some good in the man she called Daddy. She looked up at Jareth, tears in her eyes. She had no way of expressing these things in words, but she didn't have to.

Jareth sat next to her again, her tears calming his anger. He put his arms around her and stroked her hair. "Shh…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten angry. I should have told you before now, but I suppose I had other things on my mind." He readjusted her in his arms so that he could look into her eyes. "Do you want to see him?" he asked her.

She took a moment to respond, not sure if she really wanted to or not. Then she nodded, knowing that she had to put an end to the questions in her mind.

Jareth sighed. "I'll take you to him, then, but you have to understand something first. When I did this, I thought you were dead, and I was sick with grief and rage. I wanted to punish him, I wanted him to suffer as I was suffering." He studied her, and felt heartsick at the fear in her eyes. "Please don't be angry with me, Sarah." He whispered, afraid to look at her any longer.

She cupped her hand to his face and brought him back to her. "I could never be angry with you Jareth." She said gently, and it was true. She didn't know what he had done, but she knew he had done it out of love for her, and she was awestruck by the knowledge. "But I need to see him." She said, and added, "Alone."

Jareth instantly protested this. "I'll not leave you alone with him, Sarah, not after all that he's done!" His voice was raised and the words held a hint of the commanding tone she remembered from so long ago. To his dismay, she rewarded him with an amused smile.

"Nor would I expect you to." She said. "You will be there for me, just as you have always been in matters concerning my father. But he needs to see me and only me." Jareth still looked unconvinced, and she gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. "If I need you, I'll know how to find you." She said.

Jareth contemplated forcing the issue, but he could tell that she was immovable. Reluctantly, he nodded his head. "Very well then, Sarah, if that is your wish. But I shall be close by, and if for one minute I think things are going badly, I won't wait for you to call me."

HJKJOIUKJHKJHJ:K:LKKJKHGJG

"Darkness, darkness everywhere, and not a drop to drink." Richard whispered to himself and the rats. The phrase made no sense, but he was in no position to know that. He had no idea how long he had been in this hole, but it must have been years, surely. After his visit from that growling maniac, he had started searching for an exit once again. He had clawed at the cold stone until his fingers bled, to no avail. He couldn't even find where the rats were coming from, though there seemed to be more everyday. He often awakened to find one nibbling at his fingertips. At first this had been disconcerting, now he called it fishing.

He would wait until the rat grew bolder, his breathing silenced. Eventually the furry creature would sit entirely in his hand, nibbling away. Still, he would wait a few more seconds, letting the rodent think he was dead. Then, quick as lighting, he would close his hand around it, breaking its neck in one swift movement. Viola! Lunch is served.

He laughed wickedly in the darkness. How he had outsmarted that freak! What was his name? Jareth…that was it. He couldn't remember his own name sometimes, but Jareth's name never escaped him. How he longed to see him again, oh the fish he would catch! He would let him think he was dead, and then, when he least expected it, he would snap his smug neck!

He sat drawing unseen drawings in the mud floor of his prison. _Tomb_, his mind corrected, but he shut that thought out. He laughed again, a gleeful laugh that only insanity can breed. He was clawing at the ground as he laughed, and staring into the darkness. The damned darkness, he had hated it so much at first. Now it was his only constant, his only friend. Only the darkness saw what he had become, and it didn't judge him.

There was a new sound in the darkness. No, not new, he had heard it once before. It was the sound of another person in his cell. Now was his chance! He became perfectly still, slowed his breathing, willed his heart to quiet itself. He heard soft footsteps coming toward him and he waited patiently for them to come closer, closer still, close enough to strike.

Suddenly there was a stabbing pain in his head, as though he had been pierced through the eyes. He closed them until the pain subsided and then opened them again, very gently. The light was coming from the person before him, a soft glow emanating from the very skin. He looked up into the face of his tormentor, but saw instead the eyes of a young woman. She was so familiar.

"Daddy?" he heard her say. Daddy…that used to be his name. Who had called him that? Then he remembered. Sarah, his Sarah! Something bad had happened to her, someone had killed her. He sobbed gently in the darkness, remembering the pain when he learned she was dead. Oh, his baby girl was dead? How had that happened? Jareth! He had taken his little girl away from him. How he despised him!

The ghostly form of his daughter bent down and touched his face. "Daddy? Can you hear me?" she asked.

"Sarah?" he croaked, reaching out to her.

"Yes, daddy, it's me." She had tears in her eyes. He had no idea ghosts could cry.

"He killed you." He whispered.

"Who killed me, Daddy?" She looked confused. Poor thing.

"That freak." He spat. "That….Jareth. He killed you and locked me in here." She must not remember. Being dead must have clouded her mind.

"No Daddy." She said, her face a portrait of sadness. "It wasn't Jareth. Don't you remember what happened Daddy?"

There was a tingle in the back of his mind, a nagging memory trying to be noticed, but he pushed it away. "NO!" he barked, and she flinched away from him. "It was Jareth!"

The specter of his daughter shook her head. How dare she contradict him! Dead or not, he was still her father! "Jareth would never hurt me, Daddy, he loves me." She said. Loves her? Oh, this was too much. He stood up, a clawing, retching motion that took more energy than he currently had, but he stood to face her.

"Why are you here?" he demanded. "Why are you tormenting me?"

"I wanted to see you, Daddy." She said. She was still the picture of sadness, but the tears were gone, replaced by a growing detachment.

Richard pressed his back against the wall, his hands sliding aimlessly against the smooth stone. "You wanted to see me like this?" he howled, and chuckled to himself as she backed away from him. "I didn't think so." He whispered, and only he could hear.

YTFGFTRYTKUHJHKJYU

'_What have you done to him_?' Sarah sent, '_He's insane_!'

'_Wasn't he already_?' was the response she received.

'_Not like this' _she thought. '_He's gone completely mad! He doesn't remember anything. He thinks you killed me_!'

'_So I heard'_ Jareth answered.

'_How could you put him here? You had to know what it would do to him_!"

He knew she wasn't angry with him, but the unspoken accusation stung him just the same. '_As I said, it was no more than he deserved for what he did to you. Were you still dead, I wouldn't spare him a moment's thought_.'

'_And now_?' she asked gently, feeling the hurt she had caused him and regretting the sharpness of her words.

'_Now I don't know what to do with him_' he sighed. '_What would you have me do, love, send him back to your world, to torment other children? Unleash him into the Underground, to perhaps find Maya once more?_'

Sarah thought silently, knowing the truth of his words. What could be done with him? '_The Bog?_' she wondered.

'_The Bog is a temporary punishment, darling. He would find his way out, and be unchanged for the experience. We would merely be delaying the inevitable_.'

'_Then what can we do with him?_' she cried. '_I can't bear to leave him like this, and we can't just kill him_.'

Jareth was silent for far too long, and when he spoke again, it wasn't in her mind but behind her. "No, we can't." he agreed. Sarah turned to face him, and saw what he held in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, although she had a fair idea of what he had in mind.

"I'm giving him a second chance." He said, then seeing that she was terrified, he put his arms around her and kissed her softly. "I'm sorry we have to do this love, but I can think of no other way."

Sarah nodded. "I trust you." She whispered. Both of them turned to Richard, whose face was contorted in rage.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER YOU FREAK!" he screamed, lunging towards Jareth, who waved his hand as though swatting a fly. Richard fell back against the wall, the wind knocked out of him.

Jareth fixed him with a warning glare. "I would suggest you not try that again." He said coldly, and Richard fumed silently.

"You killed my daughter!" Richard shouted.

"No," Jareth corrected, "You killed your daughter."

"How dare you." Richard growled.

"I grow tired of this." Jareth said, and strode toward Richard. Despite himself, Richard cowered against the wall. When he saw what Jareth was holding, he tried to run, but Jareth grabbed his arm and pulled him to face him. He placed the gun in Richards trembling hands and commanded "Remember!"

Richard stared dumbly at the cold metal in his hands. In a flash, it all came back to him. He was with Maya, Sarah had come in, she had had the gun, he had taken it away from her. He had aimed it at her, he had pulled the trigger, HE had killed her! Tears welled up within him, and he began to sob in long shuddering breaths. He looked up at Sarah. "I'm so sorry..." he cried, "I'm so sorry, baby."

Sarah stepped toward her father. "It's okay, Daddy." She comforted him, putting her arms around him. "I forgive you. I forgive you for everything." She marveled at her own words. It was as though a weight she didn't even realize she had been carrying had been lifted from her shoulders. She held her father for several moments, allowing him to cry on her shoulder. She looked towards Jareth, wondering what he would do now, but Jareth was impassive, staring at her father expectantly.

Eventually Richard pulled away from his daughter and looked up at the Goblin King. Their eyes met, and some instinct that Sarah hadn't known was there told her to back away. To her horror, her father raised the gun in his hand and aimed it at her husband. Jareth didn't move, didn't flinch. There was no trace of fear in his eyes. This seemed to infuriate her father even more, and he pulled the trigger.

The gun fired, over and over again, the shots deafening in the cold stone cell. Sarah screamed, and covered her hands with her ears. To her relief, Jareth remained untouched, merely watching her father with cold interest. Richard fired the gun several more times, bellowing with rage, before lowering the gun and sinking to the ground. Jareth moved to Sarah's side and put his arms around her, reassuring her that he was unhurt.

Sarah looked at her father with tear filled eyes. "Why Daddy?" she asked, but he did not answer. Instead, he raised the gun once again, this time pressing it to his own head, and pulled the trigger. Jareth reacted, pulling her face to his chest, but it wasn't fast enough; she had seen her father's gruesome death. She wept bitterly, and Jareth comforted her as best he could. She looked up at him expectantly. "You knew he would do that." She choked.

"I hoped he wouldn't" he responded, and it was enough. They had done what they could for him, but her father was too far gone for redemption. At least he wouldn't suffer any longer, and he would never cause anyone else to suffer.

"Will we just leave him here like this?" she asked softly, glancing at the sad pile of flesh that had once been her father.

"I'll see to it that he's taken care of." Jareth answered, and with a thought they had left the oubliette behind them.

GUYTIUYOIJLKHKUYOIU

Richard was confused. He was still in his prison, but he was alone now. There was no gun in his hand, and no one was with him. He thought he must have dreamed the incident, until he looked down and saw himself, crumpled and bloody on the dirt floor. Fear took him and he scrambled to the other side of the cell. He was screaming, but there was no echo; it was as though the sound didn't exist. Panic threatened to take over his mind, until he felt a light touch on his shoulder and was instantly comforted.

He turned to find himself face to face with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She smiled gently at him, and took his hand in hers. "Come, child." She said. "It's time to start over. Please try to do better this time around."


	15. Epilogue

Disclaimer: The vast majority of these characters as well as the underlying story do not belong to me. However, I claim full responsibility for all of their actions after the point where the movie left off.

_The train they were on was very crowded, and Sarah and Jareth were forced to sit very close to each other. They had tried to hold a conversation, but between the noise of the other passengers and the clatter of the train on the rails, they just couldn't hear each other, not even their thoughts. There was a woman sitting in front of them holding a screaming baby. Next to her was a child, four, maybe five years old, standing up in his seat and turned around so that he was facing Jareth and Sarah. He didn't speak, he simply stared at them. Jareth summoned a crystal and weaved it back and forth across his hands in an attempt to amuse the boy, but his face remained stoic and Jareth released the crystal, allowing it to disappear. He settled back into his seat and held Sarah closer in his arms. Neither of them knew why they were on this train, or where they were going, but there was nothing for it but to wait and see where it would take them._

_Far ahead of them a tunnel came into view, and Sarah looked at Jareth anxiously, fearing the darkness ahead, but he tightened his embrace around her and she was comforted. Soon enough, they were passing through the tunnel. As though a switch had been flipped, the train was immersed in darkness and…silence? The sound of the other passengers was gone, and all that could be heard was their own breathing. Sarah settled into the rocking motion of the train, allowing it to sooth her. When they came through the tunnel they were both surprised to see that they were alone. All of the others had disappeared, and it was just the two of them on the train. Instead of being frightened, Sarah found this reassuring, as though all distractions had vanished and they could concentrate on each other. Sarah smiled, and looked up at Jareth to find him smiling as well._

_There was a muffled, mewling sound coming from the seat in front of them, and Sarah got up to investigate. There in the seat lay the only other passenger on the train, the baby that the woman had been holding. The baby wasn't crying now, only cooing softly to himself. Sarah picked him up in her arms and brought him back with her to her seat. She looked at Jareth and was about to ask what they should do with him when…_

Sarah woke with a start. She had had this dream every night for the past two weeks, and still had no idea what it meant. She hadn't told Jareth about it; she knew he would worry, so she had kept it to herself. It was beginning to bother her, though, and if it didn't go away soon she would have to tell him. In any case, the dream usually went a bit farther than that; she had been awakened prematurely, but she didn't know by what. Then, in the back of her mind, she heard a faint voice calling out an all too familiar phrase: "I wish the goblins would take you away right now!" Her eyes flew open. _What in the hell_, she thought.

She felt Jareth stir behind her, his right arm tightening its grip around her waist as he pulled himself closer to her. "You heard it too." He whispered. It wasn't a question.

"Yes," she said, "What was it?"

"We're being summoned." He answered. "Someone has wished away a child."

"_We're_ being summoned?" she asked, turning over so that she could face him.

He brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and smiled. "You're the Goblin Queen now, Love. Any summoning of our services is a summons to both of us." She looked utterly horrified and he laughed. "You don't have to go if you don't want to." He told her. "But it might be good for you."

"Good for me how?" she asked dubiously.

"Well, why don't you come with me, and we'll find out." He answered. She took a moment to consider it, and then nodded. She was his Queen now, she should share his burdens. And besides, it might be interesting to see the encounter from the other side this time.

He kissed her softly and took her hand in his. "Close your eyes." He whispered and she did as she was told. Almost immediately she felt the world shifting around her and when she opened her eyes again she was standing in front of the mirror. She found herself wearing a long black gauzy dress that flowed around her like whispers in the wind, and her hair was wild and untamed.

Over the past weeks her skin had begun to take on the shimmering quality that all of Jareth's kind, her kind, possessed, and blue streaks had begun appearing in her dark tresses. Jareth had assured her that it was all part of her change from mortal to immortal, in the same way that she was discovering new powers every day. Now though, her hair held long shimmering streaks of blue, and her eyes were lined with wild strokes of yellow and green. She stared at her reflection, wide eyed. Jareth moved behind her and put his arms around her. He was wearing the same clothes he had worn when she first met him, and she studied their reflection, marveling at how well matched they seemed.

"What do you think?" he asked her reflection, stroking her cheek lovingly.

"Did you do this?" she whispered, still awestruck by her appearance.

"The clothes, yes." He admitted. "If you are to meet a summoner, I thought you should look the part of a fearsome Goblin Queen." He growled playfully as he said this last, and she laughed. "As for the rest, I supposed being summoned sped up the changing process."

"I love it." She breathed and he raised a querulous eyebrow.

"Do you?" he wondered. "I must admit, I expected a bit more resistance than this."

She turned around and put her arms around his neck. "Do you like it?" she asked.

He raised his hand to her lips, touching them gently, moving to her jaw line, and down her long slender neck. He closed his eyes and traced her face by memory. When he opened them again he looked deeply into her eyes and said "The day I met you, you were the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on, and every day since then you have only become more beautiful." With that he kissed her, lifting her in his arms and carrying her back to their bed.

She pulled away from him breathlessly and asked "What about the summoner? We have to go, don't we?"

"I've reordered time for you before, my love, I can do it again." Jareth responded, his breathing ragged. And then, grinning wickedly, he added. "They'll never know if we're a few hours late."


	16. An Open Letter From the Author

I would like to take a minute to thank all of you who read my story and gave it such wonderful reviews. They were greatly appreciated and kept me spurred on to continue writing. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this little piece of fiction, and I hope that you all enjoyed reading it.

I ended this rather quickly after my chapter dealing with Richard's final demise, so I don't really know yet how you all felt about that. I know that some of you had hoped to see him hanging upside down in the BOES, and I did entertain that thought. In the end, however, I felt much the same as Jareth on the matter, i.e., I didn't quite know what to do with him. I felt that his crimes warranted more than a slap on the wrist, yet Sarah would never allow him to be punished too horribly. Therefore, I thought it best that he be the one to ultimately deal with himself. I added the last part of that chapter to soften the blow.

I'm glad you all liked the LOTR addition. I was afraid I may have gone a bit over the top with that, but what the hell? It was fun and I enjoyed writing it. One of you asked that I include Frodo in the story, and that would be fun except for one thing. I had already explained the parallel of Gandalf leaving with the elves to Gandalf and the elves choosing to pass to the other side of the veil (in other words, dead.) Since Frodo left with Gandalf and the elves, then he is also dead. Trust me, I would have loved to alter this somehow, if for no other reason than to bring Elrond into the story. (I absolutely ADORE Elrond.) I won't rule out the addition of other less accounted for LOTR characters if I decide to do a sequel.

I ended the story where I did because it seemed the most logical place to end it. Everyone was happy, most of the loose ends were tied up (except for the dream…what was all of that about I wonder?) and I really didn't know what else to do without starting a chain of events that would have led to another fifteen chapters.

Therefore, with a heavy heart, I brought the story to its conclusion, and I hope one that you'll all be happy with. If I get enough people begging for a sequel I just might write one, I've got several ideas on the subject already. In the mean time, I've enjoyed writing for you and I bid you all a fond farewell.

Forever Yours,

Morrigana,

Dark Child of The Morrigan


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